


A Light Amid The Darkness

by MysticalAuthoress



Category: Bravely Default (Video Game) & Related Fandoms, Hustle Cat (Visual Novel)
Genre: Bravely Default Spoilers, Bravely Second Spoilers, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Established Relationship, Friendship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Murder, Implied/Referenced Stalking, Implied/Referenced Torture, Male-Female Friendship, Non-Binary Avery Grey, Other, Post-Bravely Second, Post-Game(s), References to Illness, at least to an extent, but will combine elements of all the other routes in Hustle Cat, hustle cat spoilers, post-Finley's route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:54:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 54,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24869494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysticalAuthoress/pseuds/MysticalAuthoress
Summary: After the events of Bravely Second, Geist wants nothing more than to move on. With everyone else moving on and Geist sending his son, Revenant, to Al Khampis, however, the whole situation leaves him lonely and lost with what to do next. Additionally, Geist wants to just go to a place where he isn’t instantly pointed out as the Bloody Exorcist. Going outside of Luxendarc, Geist stumbles across A Cat’s Paw cafe in the search for anonymous sanctuary in a completely different town. However, it's not that easy: Finley, the cafe's social media expert, is about to show him that he can’t completely get out of the limelight…especially when old demons come back, renewed, for both of them.Now officially complete!
Relationships: Avery Grey/Finley, Geist Grace & Finley (Hustle Cat), Geist Grace & Revenant Grace, Graves/Nacht (mentioned), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. Attention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geist goes to A Cat's Paw cafe, and meets some new people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Bravely Default/Second and Hustle Cat. 
> 
> Warning: This fic has major spoilers for both Hustle Cat (especially Finley, Reese and Graves’ routes) and Bravely Second (especially Geist and Revenant’s shared backstory). To be more specific, this fic takes place post-Finley’s route, meaning that Finley/Avery is canon in this fic, but the fic will combine some elements of all of the other routes to an extent. This means there will be trigger warnings for discussed child death, sickness, murder/torture, and even some stalking/harassment, given everyone’s backstories, and I’ll be updating the tags as I continue posting chapters. I will also post up trigger warnings for chapters that discuss any of this content, or other potential triggers, in the author notes at the beginning of the chapters. If any of the trigger-warning-filled content in each chapter has any plot relevance (and it probably will), I will give a quick summary of what happened in those areas at the end of those chapters so you aren’t left behind in the story.
> 
> Also, a few more disclaimers: I don’t know how technologically advanced the land of Luxendarc is, but we’re just going to assume they have cellphones, email and texting in this world. 
> 
> Also, given Hustle Cat’s freedom to choose whatever pronouns you want for its main protagonist, Avery Gray, Avery is non-binary in this fic and uses they/them pronouns. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading this fic!

Geist was glad the whole situation with Providence and trying not to let the world get destroyed was over. He was glad that the Crystal Orthodoxy, the Duchy of Eternia, and what remained of the Grantz Empire was slowly coming back to peaceful terms with each other. He was glad that he was still alive, as well as his son Revenant, and even the rest of his allies and friends he’d made in the Empire. Peace was always a good thing, and rarely did Geist feel like he experienced that.

But ever since the end of all that happened with Providence, Geist was _tired._ Tired of not having any privacy, of being alone. The Empire wasn’t the same since Denys died, and virtually disbanded ever since his self-sacrifice to send the Ba’al to the end of time. Janne and Nikolai went on their way back to working with the Orthodoxy, and same with all of Geist’s former teammates. It was nice to see their familiar faces in Gathelatio and Eternia, but it didn’t feel the same as old times.

Yew Geneolgia and Magnolia Arch were making wedding plans, Tiz and Agnes already got married as is, Edea Lee and Yew were working with Agnes, Braev Lee, and other nations in Luxendarc to establish further peace as is. Even Kamiizumi had adopted Minette Napkatti, officially, as his daughter. Everyone had something to do with their lives.

Geist wasn’t sure what _his_ thing to do was, though at least he had his son occupied for the time being. He’d enrolled Revenant in Al-Khampis’ Academy (especially after he and his son got a _huge_ financial compensation because of all that happened in the past, from the Orthodoxy itself, and it was more than enough to pay for Rev’s education and boarding–it didn’t hurt that Norzen already knew Minette as is prior to her and Rev being enrolled at Al-Khampis, either). Technically, the boy would be a young adult, if it wasn’t for his soul permanently in the state of a young child when he died, but Geist knew that Kamiizumi was enrolling Minette there, so the Exorcist figured he might as well as do the same for Rev. It would be good for his son to be there with a friend and former teammate from the Grantz Empire, to have a handy familiar face, all while both of them navigated the new world ahead of them.

Before Revenant left for his studies, at least Geist could spend the time he had with his son. He first spent time, after the final confrontation with the evil god Providence, to just recover and spend time with his own son, as well as fellow teammates. But as people drifted or got busy with new things, Geist wasn’t sure what to do. The days felt endless, and had less meaning.

Now that Revenant wasn’t present by his side, given the boy’s studies, it made things even harder.

Because of everything that happened, there was also the additional struggle of people asking him to perform exorcisms, due to his status as an Exorcist. He couldn’t remember how many requests he had to turn down, but he was tired of doing them. Tired of dealing with demons.

So, one night, he had the idea of taking a break. A literal one. He had the money, so he could go out of Luxendarc. Maybe, he decided, he needed to see the world, too. Rev was off doing that in his own way, with his studies, and Geist knew it would be a good way to distract himself, so why not do it?

He gave Nobutsuna Kamiizumi a week’s notice before leaving. Given that Nobutsuna adopted Minette, and the fact that Minette was also at Al-Khampis with Rev, Geist figured it made sense to trust the man with looking after his own small house. The Swordmaster agreed to take any letters meant for Geist, check in on the mail. Geist’s plan was to just be…not-present in Luxendarc, at least for two weeks. The wedding of Magnolia and Yew would be in a month from now, so that gave Geist more than enough time to be back for said wedding and pick up Rev to come to the wedding, too.

Geist had decided to go by ship to get to a new place, outside of Luxendarc. The trip took three days, but Geist didn’t mind. Now that Luxendarc was mostly at peace, there were other nations that wanted to go there for tourism and trade, so there were plenty more ships than in previous years.

The last time Geist went on a ship, he knew it didn’t end well. This time, things would be different – or so he hoped.

* * *

Geist soon found himself in a new town, in a new place entirely. He needed a new change of clothes for the occasion. As the Exoricist, he couldn’t just show up anywhere in bloody clothing without getting stares or being accused of criminal activity, so he had no choice but to get new clothes prior to leaving for the trip. He settled for something plain and normal, but still close to his own style – a black trenchcoat with inner pockets, red pants (he never liked jeans), low-heeled black boots and gloves. The shirt he had on was just a plain, button-up shirt.

He also now had a nifty cellphone with him. He hadn’t bothered with the new technology at first, when joining the Empire, but he needed it _now_ to keep in touch and receive emails and texts from Nobutsuna, as well as Rev and some of his former allies. Geist figured it wouldn’t hurt to keep in touch, just in case of an emergency, and he managed to learn the basics of it pretty quick before arriving in the new town.

He wandered the streets after checking into the cheap hotel he booked beforehand, pretending to have purpose and a destination, but he grew weary of just wandering around. Also, he was getting hungry, and he was tired from travelling. He needed a good cup of coffee, and some time to just unwind and take things in.

That was when he turned the corner and saw a peculiar place.

What sort of building called itself _A Cat’s Paw,_ after all? Intrigued, and also smelling coffee brewing from within, he entered through the front doors. The soft ringing of a bell echoed as he made his way past the doorway, just in time to see a young man with olive-brown skin approach him with a friendly smile and lanky limbs.

“Welcome to A Cat’s Paw!” The man greeted him.

“Er, thanks.” Geist managed, swallowing. Socializing with people, even before all the trauma with the Great Plague and so on, had never been easy for him. It still wasn’t easy, now. “I was just wondering if you had coffee?”

The other man nodded. “Oh, yes. Please, have a seat. I’ll get Finley to take your order.”

Geist took a seat at one of the nearby tables in the dining area. As far as he could see, just from looking around, there was a specific area meant for the cats, given that was where their play structures were. The tables, where he was sitting at, was where people could sit and eat. He also noticed stairs leading up, probably for further seating for customers. Maybe even an office, too, but he wasn’t completely sure.

“Excuse me, sir?” He turned his head to see a young woman approaching his table, offering him a menu. She had a green shirt-dress of sorts, with patterned leggings and casual but fashionable-looking sneakers. He also noticed the phone she had in her free hand, as he took the menu from her. “Hi, I’m Finley.

“Uh…” Geist looked down at the menu briefly, then up at her, “Just coffee. Black. And a banana muffin, please.”

“Will do!” Finley left Geist’s sight, and Geist took the time to get settled, taking a breath.

There weren’t many customers in this café, as there were not many sitting at the tables. There were some that were casually chatting with their friends, or maybe staring at the various cats, but otherwise the place was pretty calm. It was nice, knowing there weren’t too many people in here.

Finley came back pretty quickly with the coffee and banana muffin, and Geist thanked her for it. He figured he’d have to pay at the end of eating, though, and so he took his time, drinking the coffee, taking a few bites of his muffin inbetween.

He watched the other people and cats in the café, silent as he consumed his order. The cats were peacefully playing on the various structures meant for them, and the other customers were just peacefully doing their own thing.

Geist wasn’t really sure what to maek of this place. Was it just a normal café, except for cats? He had a feeling he should tell Kamiizumi about this place. Maybe he could take Minette out here, if they had the chance to go travelling sometime.

He heard the ‘click’ of a camera, and he turned to see Finley taking a few photos of her own cup of coffee on a nearby table with her phone, trying to take photos at different angles.

“What are you doing?” Geist couldn’t help but ask. Did a lot of people take photos at this place? And why the coffee, if not the cats?

She looked up at him, blinking. “Oh, sorry about that. Just taking a couple pics for social media. I’d move to another table, but this cup is gonna spill if I do.” Peering a bit closer at the table, Geist noticed that the cream at the top of the cup resembled a foamy impression of a cat. Finley smiled, looking down at the cat, and then up at Geist. “I’m in charge of social media, so I gotta get the word out.”

“I see.” He paused, before he shrugged, looking towards his own coffee. “Don’t mind me, then.”

“You aren’t from around here, are you?” He blinked, turning towards her. Her head tilted to the side, her attention on him. “I mean, I haven’t seen you around until today.”

“I _am_ new here.” He admitted, shrugging once. “I’m just taking a break from…back home.” Best not to mention that he was an Exorcist that just got out of a life-and-death situation in Luxendarc, involving an evil god and so on. “Travelled all the way here and figured I’d take a peek in this place.”

“Cool!” She beamed. “Well, I already introduced myself, I’m Finley. And you are…?”

“I’m Geist.” Geist supplied. He figured it wasn’t worth telling her his last name, just in case anyone recognized him outside Luxendarc. And that phone of hers made him weary. He didn’t want her taking selfies with him, after all.

“Geist, huh? That’s a cool name.” Finley nodded a bit. “What does it mean? Ghost?”

“Actually, yes.” He managed, a soft chuckle leaving him at that.

“Oh, cool!”

He didn’t know much about this place. And now that he had her attention, why not use the opportunity to ask her, especially since she worked here? “Could you tell me more about this café?”

“Oh, sure!” She grinned, pointing to the cats playing in the structures. “That’s the cat area. My boss, Graves, picks up any strays he finds and brings them here to take care of, until someone comes by to adopt them. The pictures by that area are all the adopted cats so far. And of course,” Her gaze looked towards Geist again, chuckling softly, “You’re in the dining area, but I’m sure you guessed that already. The upstairs floor also is an area where customers can eat and drink, too.”

“And the third floor?” The Exorcist inquired.

“That’s my boss’ office. That’s all.” Finley shrugged at that, and Geist simply nodded. That made sense, he supposed. Someone had to do all the administrative work of this place somewhere. Given how everyone else that worked here either attended to the cats, the dining area or the kitchen, Geist guessed that Graves probably did most of the admin work upstairs. Made sense. He’d have less distractions that way. But it also meant he probably had a lot of trust in his employees to get the job done, in the meantime.

Before Geist could ask any other questions, he heard the bell at the front doors rang. Geist noticed Finley entire form tense, especially in her shoulders. Her jaw clenched, before a brief sigh left her as she shook her head.

“You gotta be _kidding_ me,” Geist heard Finley mutter under her breath, before she raised her voice enough to look the stranger in the eye, approaching them. “Excuse me? I’m going to have to ask you to leave _immediately.”_

“What are you gonna do? Sic your white knight on me like the last time?” The man challenged. Geist knew that he couldn’t just sit at his table and watch. He had to do s _omething_ , and he did.

Getting up from where he sat at the table, he marched over to the two. He didn’t know the whole situation, but clearly this man had to be trouble, especially given how Finley initially reacted to his arrival.

“You heard the lady.” Geist snapped at the other man, looking him in the eye. “Leave. Now.”

“You gonna make me, buddy?” The man started, but Geist narrowed his gaze, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he stared the other man down. He saw the younger man pale immediately under his hood, but he still relented in dishing out insults. “What you gonna do, beat me six ways to Sunday? I’ll give this café a horrible rating if you do!”

“I don’t even work here, so you’d be wasting your time giving a rating for no reason.” The Exorcist pointed out immediately. “And if you have a problem with me and her asking you to leave, I will _make_ you leave. _Permanently.”_

Geist knew what he meant by saying ‘permanently.’ The other man seemed to get the hint, though, a hiss leaving him before he turned on his heel and stormed out of the café. The Exorcist relaxed his gaze, swallowing as he looked towards Finley.

“Y-you…” Finley paused, staring at him, before she managed, “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I couldn’t just stand there and let you get harassed.” Geist muttered, shaking his head. “Sorry about that.”

“That guy shouldn’t even _be_ here. I’m sorry you were involved in it.” Finley managed, shaking her head quickly. “You know what? Let me make it up to you. Your order’s on the house.”

“No, you don’t need to.” Geist quickly shoved a few bills out of his own pockets, before offering them to Finley. “I’ll just take my leave.”

Even if he wasn’t looking around, at this point, he could feel the few other people in the café staring at him. The urge to _kill_ that man from earlier resonated deep in his head, and he knew he needed some air. He couldn’t stay here. Not like this. Not _now._

“Are you sure?” Finley asked. Geist simply nodded, turning on his heel to leave the café. He then paused, taking out one more bill.

“Keep the change,” Geist blurted out, stuffing an extra twenty-dollar bill into Finley’s hand. “For your trouble.” He immediately straight-up left the café after that. The last thing he wanted was to bring more attention. Maybe it was best if he avoided the place, from hereon. After all, he did quite loudly deal with a harasser.

And, at least he got his coffee. That, he could guarantee.

* * *

“Are you okay, Finley?”

Ever since the strange man from earlier left the café, Landry volunteered to cover the rest of Finley’s shift, while Finley and one of her other fellow co-workers, Avery, went upstairs to calm down and refresh a bit from the harsh encounter.

“Yeah.” Finley took a deep breath, forcing herself to slowly breathe. “I’m okay. Kinda. I can’t shake off that vibe about that guy, though.”

“You mean the harasser dude?” Avery’s nose scrunched up as they looked her in the eyes. “Yeah, I know what you mean. I think Reese is calling the police now about how that guy breached his restraining order.”

Finley knew she had her haters online, but this one had actually went all the way to the café to publicly harass her at work. Avery and Mason had, thankfully, chased him off at the time when he first came, but there were two more repeat offences that eventually forced the café to give the man a restraining order. Hopefully, after this report, that man would just never come back. Finley hoped that man never came back.

But there was the other man, from earlier. The odd customer, who stood up and threatened the life of her harasser. She knew what he meant when he said he’d _‘permanently’_ get rid of the other. _Was he seriously going to kill him?_

“I mean by the customer who stood up for me.” Finley answered, looking Avery in the eye.

“That guy in the trenchcoat, red pants and black boots?” Avery asked. They frowned a little bit. “I don’t think I’ve seen him before.”

Finley nodded. “Yeah. He mentioned his name was Geist, and he was from out of town.”

“What kind of vibes did you pick up from him before the whole confrontation happened? Was it like…” Avery’s voice lowered as they finished, “Nacht?”

Finley shook her head quickly. Even if she sensed life-and-death vibes from Geist, it was nothing like Nacht. “Not like him. He apologized and rushed off after he defended me. He even overpaid me! I think he was embarrassed that he brought all that attention to himself.” She couldn’t help but wonder if the man had some form of social anxiety, likes Hayes. It wouldn’t be surprising, given his skittish behaviour. “I think he meant well, though. He was mostly pretty calm before that guy arrived.”

“Huh…” Avery frowned softly at that. Avery had been on Cat Detail when the harasser arrived earlier, so Finley knew they couldn’t just immediately change to their human form right in front of the public. They sighed, then took another sip of their coffee. “Well, I doubt that guy will come back again. Both of them, I mean.”

“I feel almost bad for him.” Finley managed, swallowing _. He looked so mortified earlier, just because he defended me. And sure, he did give the guy a death threat, but I don’t think he was actually serious…right?_

“Can’t do anything about it now.” Avery squeezed Finley’s free hand in their own, offering her a smile. “How about we play some Bl@st Zone after work to cheer you up?”

Finley couldn’t help but smile, before leaning in to give them a kiss. “You just read my mind, cutie. Let’s do this.”

A night of playing Bl@st Zone together at the café, after closing time, did lift Finley’s spirits. How could it not? It was always her favourite game, and nowadays, she and Avery were working on cosplay outfits based off it, too! (She had yet to persuade the rest of her coworkers to participate. Reese wasn’t interested, and Hayes was too embarrassed about cosplaying in public, given that it meant dealing with more people, and then there was the issue of Landry fitting properly given his height. At least Mason seemed like she’d do it, at least once. Same went for Graves.)

However, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that maybe, just maybe, she’d see that guy again.

Little did she realize that she would be right about that.


	2. The Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geist and Finley move past their awkward first meeting, and Geist gets an offer that's hard to refuse.

Geist didn’t know why he found himself standing in front of the café again. He did feel bad about the ruckus he caused the previous day, but he also knew that things just felt undone. He felt bad enough about the ruckus, but maybe running off like he did wasn’t the smartest idea, either. Nor was giving up almost thirty bucks over all of what happened, yesterday. (He regretted giving her so high of a tip, just a little bit.)

Wandering towards A Cat’s Paw, he noticed the familiar figure of none other than Finley, who was just unlocking the door. The café must be opening now, Geist guessed.

Before he could say or do anything else, that was when Finley looked up from the door and immediately spotted him, blinking. “Oh! Hi.”

“Hi.” Geist managed, unsure of what else to say.

Awkward silence fell between him and her as they stared at each other. Geist forced himself to say something, to break the silence. “I’m sorry.”

She frowned. “What for?”

“About yesterday. I felt bad about bringing all that attention to you, and then running away afterwards.”

“Well,” She shrugged, “It’s not my first time I’ve seen that guy.” She paused, then lowered her voice. “But…um, were you serious? About permanently getting rid of him?”

Geist couldn’t help but sigh. “To be honest, he’s not the first sort of man I’ve dealt with, either. And yes, I’ve threatened those types of people before, numerous times. I was serious.”

“Oh.” She swallowed. “Well, um, I appreciate the help, but...next time, let’s stay away from death threats if we can, okay? Might not be great for business.”

“If you want me to leave and never come back, I can.”

“After all the extra tips you gave me, plus defending me? You’re definitely welcome.” She beamed. “Wanna come in?”

He paused, considered the facts that 1. The coffee was delicious and 2. She appreciated his help, so he nodded in agreement, before entering the café. Finley wasn’t on the floor today, as apparently she had more social media work to do, but Geist didn’t mind having the chance to drink some more coffee and watch some cats play with each other.

* * *

It was now the third day in a row since Geist starting coming to A Cat’s Paw. He didn’t hang around the place 24/7, as the café was not open for all those hours, and he _did_ sleep in his hotel room, but he did find himself coming back here regularly.

He couldn’t help it — the coffee was really good. Some of the best in town, honestly. Sure, there was also this decent convenience store with some big cheese danishes and Geist did try one or two as a snack, but nothing beat the coffee at A Cat’s Paw.

“Here again, huh?” Finley was on the floor today, approaching him with a fresh pitcher of coffee when she noticed him wave her over.

“If you don’t want me around, you can ask me to leave and I will.” Geist managed, a sigh leaving him as he held out his cup to her. “If you don’t mind me…Refill, please.”

“Dunno about that.” Finley shrugged as she poured a third cup of coffee into Geist’s cup. “I’m just more concerned your hands are gonna start shaking from _all_ the coffee you’ve been drinking. I know it’s delicious, but still.”

Geist could only sigh as he looked up at her from where he sat. “Well, my hands shaking hasn’t happened yet, so I think I’m fine for now. Thank you for your concern, though.”

Finley simply let him be. Geist was just glad that she let him stay here.

* * *

Finley noticed that this was the fourth day in row that Geist was here at A Cat’s Paw. It was a bit odd, honestly. Did he just really like the coffee and cats here, or was he just spending his money here because he felt that bad about causing that fight to go down the first time he came here?

Either way, she didn’t mind. After all, she did get plenty of tips from it.

“You know,” Finley quipped, just as she was passing by Geist’s table after he ordered a second cup of coffee, “We _are_ hiring some temporary help to work for the next week and a half, if you’re interested.”

Geist blinked. “And you’d consider asking me? Why?”

Finley stared at him, as if the answer was obvious. “You’ve been hanging around here for a few days in a row. And as far as me and the others observed, you seem like a decent person. You literally held the door open for fellow customers to come in, the other day. _And_ you complimented Hayes’ coffee and Mason’s cooking.”

“Hayes?”

“He makes the espressos and coffee here.” Finley explained, smiling. “No one does it nearly as well as him.”

“I see.” Geist took a deep breath, then looked her in the eye. “How soon are you accepting…applications? Interviews?”

“My boss was going to put the Help Wanted sign on the window tomorrow, but if you want an interview, I can go let him know now.”

Geist took one good look at himself, and then up at Finley, shaking his head. “I’ll come back tomorrow.” He managed. “I think I need slightly better clothes than what I’m currently wearing.”

“Really? ‘Cause you look pretty dressed-up compared to the rest of us here. If anything, I think Graves would like your style.”

“My…style?” Geist stared up at her. “Is he a fan of red and black clothing?”

She nodded. “Yeah. He’s super-goth. It’s hard to explain, but that’s him.”

Geist didn’t think he was that ‘goth,’ but sure. He figured he might as well go with it. It didn’t hurt knowing that Janne had called him a ‘reaper’ from time to time, and it was for more than just what he previously did. “That’s…nice to know. Thanks.”

She smiled back. “No problem!”

* * *

Day Five.

Geist made up his mind and decided it would be a good idea to do some temporary work at A Cat’s Paw. Finley had supplied him with further details from the previous day; the job seemed like it consisted of some cleaning (which Geist knew he was good at, despite his usual bloodstained appearance back when he worked for the Grantz Empire), cleaning, and…more cleaning.

The reason for the main duty of cleaning, however, was that there was a music festival in town coming up in a couple days. _A Cat’s Paw_ needed one or two temp workers as soon as possible to help with cleaning, as the place expected more traffic than they usually received. Geist figured that made sense; _A Cat’s Paw_ was a café, and food and drink consumed by more people meant more potential for messes. And that wasn’t even taking the cats into account…

Geist knew this would be very different, working with the café people. He’d probably be the oldest person working there. Older than Graves himself, Geist guessed. He wasn’t a people-person, but at least he didn’t have anyone asking him for exorcisms. And maybe this change of pace would be nice. (And sure, he had enough money to pay for Rev’s education, but it never hurt to have some extra pocket money in case).

He walked into the café a few minutes after it opened, noticing Landry greet him, before telling him, “I’m here to speak with your boss about the temp job.”

“The temp…oh, right.” Landry nodded. “I do remember Graves mentioning that to me the other day. How about you just sit down and wait a moment? I’ll go tell him.”

“Thank you.” Geist sat down at one of the closest tables, looking around. Given that he café had just opened, he was the only customer here. Finley wasn’t out on the floor, so Geist assumed that maybe she was upstairs, working on some social media for the café, or maybe she just hadn’t come in yet. Who knows?

“Geist?” Geist blinked, looking up to see Landry approach again. That was fast. “Graves can see you now.”

Geist noticed there was another man by Landry’s side. He had short, dark hair, particularly pale skin, contasting sharply with the black sweater he wore. The several silver accessories he wore, in addition to the black pants and shoes, made Geist think of how Finley described Graves as ‘goth.’

Is this what goth people wear? Geist couldn’t help but look down at himself. He’d worn a more fitted, black coat that was not a trenchcoat, a plain white shirt, and black pants and shoes. He’d kept his Asterisk with him, too, but he kept it hidden from the sight of anyone, hanging on a thin necklace underneath his shirt.

Looking up at Graves again, Geist’s eyes widened at the sigth of the other man’s gaze – one of his eyes was gold, while the other was an icy blue.

A small smile came to Graves’ face. “I think it was his eye. Yes, it was this!”

Geist couldn’t help but wonder, as Graves continued rambling on, _Does he always start meeting new people with a monologue?_

Graves didn’t seem to be stopping too soon, despite Geist staring at him. “He had the eye of a vulture – a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees – very gradually – I made my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.”

“Tell-Tale Heart?” Geist guessed. He vaguely remembered reading that story before.

“Yes.” Graves chuckled a bit. “I see you’re well-read. As for my eyes…Idris heterochromia.” The other man stated, his icy blue eye staring into Geist’s own. “It’s more common in cats, than people.”

“I see.” _So it’s not a contact? Huh._

“Follow me. We’ll talk on the second floor.”

Both men went upstairs. Geist noticed that the flooring was similar to the main dining area downstairs, remembering how Finley told him that sometimes people ate on the second floor. However, given that the café only opened minutes ago, Geist doubted anyone would come to the second floor too soon –thus, making this place the perfect space for an interview.

Sure, Graves seemed odd. _But maybe the interview will be normal?_

“Now,” Graves looked positively intrigued, looking Geist in the eye as they both sat down, “Let’s get started. What is your favourite breed of cat?”

_Okay. Definitely not a normal job interview, either…_

* * *

Geist previously went through very few job interviews in his life. See, being an Exorcist, back when he served the Crystal Orthodoxy, was considered a lifelong career. Once you were in and practicing, you were in it for life. But Geist knew, given the questions asked during this interview with Graves, that this was the strangest thing he’d ever experienced.

And that was saying a _lot,_ given his most recent past experiences.

There was some sort of odd vibe Graves gave off to Geist. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the other man’s earlier dramatics, quoting Poe and so on, or if it was because of the interview questions. Or, perhaps, it was due to his different-coloured eyes. Geist did his best not to make complete eye contact with Graves’ icy blue eye.

“You start tomorrow.” Graves finally spoke, a few moments after Geist finished answering all the questions.

“Wait, that’s it?” Geist frowned. “No criminal background check, or anything like that?” He hoped Graves didn’t ask for a criminal background check. Geist knew he’d committed plenty of crimes in his life, and he was pretty sure that would hinder him being hired if that was the case.

“You’re interesting.” Geist thought Graves might be smirking, but he wasn’t sure. “But also, we do need the help as soon as we can. Unless there’s any reason you can’t start tomorrow, I don’t see why not.”

“And this is just for the next week and a half?”

“Exactly.”

“Then I accept your offer.” Geist couldn’t help but grin a little at that. He wondered what Janne or Revenant would think of him having a temp job, and at a café of all places. As far as he knew, all the main duties Geist seemed to have were either cleaning up tables to prepare for new customers coming in, general maintenance of the cat area, and also a lot of dishwashing (as Hayes mainly served drinks, while Mason was the only chef). It seemed simple enough. Minimum wage, but he’d take it. At least it would give him something to do, while he was outside of Luxendarc.

“Geist?” Geist blinked out of his thoughts, looking up at Graves as the man offered him a few papers. “Can you sign this, please?”

Ah. Right. Contracts. Geist quickly filled in the paperwork after he borrowed a pen from Graves, but he did scan through it. Everything seemed pretty normal; tax information here, write down signature here, great power but at a price here…

Wait, what?

_Great power but at a price?_

Geist scanned the words, before staring up at Graves. “Graves?”

“Yes?” Graves seemed perfectly calm. Too calm, even.

“What does the contract mean by _‘great power, but at a price,’_ exactly?”

“Ah, that. You won’t need that one, given that you’re working temporarily.” Graves quickly switched it out for a contract that left out said shady words. “Sign this one instead, please.”

“Okay.” Geist signed it after taking a quick look to make sure it wasn’t sketchy-looking. It wasn’t, so Geist signed it and handed it back to Graves. However, he couldn’t help but wonder….the great power but at a price bit was just for temp workers?

 _What about those that regularly work here, like Finley? Does she have a contract like that?_ He made a note to ask her later.

* * *

Finley waited at the end of the stairs, noticing Geist come down as she looked up from her phone. “So, how did it go?” She asked.

Geist took a deep breath, before offering her a small smile. “I got the job. I’ll be working with you and the others, starting tomorrow morning.”

“Really!? That’s great!” Finley knew she’d put in good word for Geist last night, after work, before Graves had ducked into his third-floor apartment. “What would you be up to? Waiting tables? Working the kitchen?”

“Mainly cleaning.” Geist admitted, a sheepish chuckle leaving him at that. Finley thought he might be smiling, just a little. “I guess it makes sense, given heavy traffic, but I’ll do my best.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Finley reassured him. “And if you need help with the cats, just let me or anyone who happens to be on Cat Detail know. I know they can be fussy sometimes, but they’re really cute.”

“Thanks.” He paused, taking a deep breath, and then he shrugged a little. “I think I’ll take the time to get ready for tomorrow. Mentally prepare. All of that.”

“Uh, sure, of course!” Finley offered him a smile. “See you tomorrow, co-worker!”

She thought she saw him smile back a little, before he left. “See you tomorrow, Finley.”

* * *

As Geist walked out of the café, he couldn’t’ stop the smile on his face. Maybe this would be fun. Maybe it would be a worthwhile experience. In the worst case scenario, at least he was only working temporarily and he would get some pocket money and so on for himself. Given that his main duties were cleaning, he doubted he’d get tips like the others might, with waiting tables, but at least he wouldn’t have to talk to too many people.

Then again, talking with Finley was nice. It was nice, being treated like a normal person and not this fearsome Exorcist that everyone knew him as, back in Luxendarc.

A sigh left him as he thought of his son, back in Al-Khampis. How was he doing, anyway? He imagined the boy would be busy. He did tell Rev, before leaving Luxendarc, that he’d be back to pick him up before the wedding and so on. How was his son getting along with his new classmates? How was Minette? Who knows what was going on?

At least he’d have something interesting to tell his son about. Rev had never been to a cat café before, after all. His son would appreciate knowing about it. Geist would be happy to tell him all about it when he returned, after the job was over.

* * *

“My esteemed employees.” Graves announced, with a soft clap of his hands. “Your attention, please.”

Finley knew what the news was about, but she figured it made sense that the others didn’t know. The café had just closed. Mason hadn’t left yet, and good thing she hadn’t, because otherwise she wouldn’t be around for Graves’ announcement, as Finley and the others stood on the main floor of the café.

Graves cleared his throat, before continuing. “I’ve hired a temporary worker to help us. His name is…Geist Grace. Finley recommended me to him, and he certainly is qualified to help us during the duration of the music festival. He starts tomorrow, and will be working with us until the end of next week.”

“A temp?” Reese sighed. “Do we really need one?”

Landry couldn’t help but sheepishly grin, looking towards Reese. “I would ask Kaz and see if he can help, but he’s headlining the music festival this year.” Finley had heard a couple rumors that Kaz was using his dubstep magic for…launching a music career, of sorts. As much as she didn’t like the kid, given how he did give Landry hell over tricking him into thinking a prank was actually going to kill him, she had to admit that Kaz made some good mixes. “I’m glad to hear we found someone already, though. Saves us the trouble trying to find someone on short notice.”

“Geist?” Avery asked, staring between everyone. “As in, uh, ghost?”

Hayes shuddered lightly. “G-ghost?” He repeated, adjusting his glasses. “He’s not an actual ghost, is he?”

“He isn’t.” Finley reassured him, looking towards him.

“Hm.” Mason simply shrugged, seemingly neutral and firm as always. “As long as he doesn’t cause trouble, I don’t see the issue. Especially if he was good to chase off that harasser from the other day.”

Finley nodded in agreement with Mason. “He is helpful. I think he means well.” She managed, trying to gauge everyone else’s reactions. “I’m opening tomorrow morning, so I can show him the ropes a bit!”

“That would be lovely, Finley.” Graves smiled at that, before it suddenly vanished. “However, we should be careful about using our…abilities, in front of him. Geist’s contract is unlike the rest of yours.”

“Wait, what?” Landry blinked, his gaze snapping towards Graves. “Geist’s contract is different? How?”

“It’s because he’s a temporary worker, and with no knowledge of our own abilities. Additionally, he’s not under the c-” A sudden cough left Graves, and he quickly cleared his throat. “Doesn’t have the same… _knack,_ like the rest of you have.” Graves explained. “However, this does mean we’ll have to be careful about keeping our own magic a secret.”

Avery could only grimace. “Given that _I_ never knew about the curse until I literally followed Hayes in cat form, I’m _pretty_ sure it’ll be easy enough to make sure Geist doesn’t know.”

“Mm.” Mason simply nodded in agreement.

Finley checked her calendar on her phone, then nodded. “Good thing we’re not scheduling any Jelly Donut days during the music festival, then…” If Geist had seen her in her Jelly Donut form before, and then she suddenly appeared as Jelly Donut during work, she might be a bit worried. What if he avidly watched the videos like other fans did, or like Avery did prior to even meeting her?

“Well, I’m sure we can make it work.” Finley reassured the others, offering them all a smile. “I think it’ll be pretty fun, having him around!”

The others seemed either fine (like Mason and Avery) to concerned (like Hayes and Reese), but Finley had a good feeling about Geist. He’d defended her once, after all. Maybe he’d do a good job defending the cats if anyone tried to harm them or mess with them. Maybe he was super-good at cleaning.

Whatever happened, she had a feeling that things would definitely be different with Geist around, regardless of Graves’ and the others’ worries. A good sort of different, that is.


	3. The Coworkers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geist starts his first day working at A Cat's Paw.

“So, I got a temp job working at a cat café.”

“Oh my god, reaper.” Janne Balestra (formerly known as Angard) stared at Geist on the phone’s screen. “Seriously? How?”

“Their boss found me qualified. And the girl I defended when first entering the café, Finley, apparently recommended me.” Geist could only shrug, sitting in his hotel room. “I start tomorrow morning, and I’m working until the end of next week.”

“You’ll be back in time for Yew and Magnolia’s wedding, though, right?” Janne asked, frowning.

“Of course I will.” Geist reassured him. “The last day of work is the last night I’m staying in this city. By the time the next morning comes around, I’ll be on a ship on the way back. I promise I’ll be there in time for the rehearsal dinner and the actual wedding.”

“Good. ‘cause I’m dying of wedding planning, and it sucks that you’re not here.” Janne groaned, shaking his head. “They hired Praline as one of the entertainers for the wedding! Do you have any idea how much torture it’s going to be!?”

Geist winced at that. “Well…at least the others will enjoy it? Maybe?”

“I don’t know. We’ll have to find out.” Janne sighed, shaking his head as he pushed a few bangs out of his face. “So, cat café. What is it like? How are the people and cats?”

“The cats seem nice. I’ve only met a few of the people, but I should be working with everyone tomorrow morning.” Geist managed. “I met the boss, Graves. He wears a lot of dark clothing.”

“Is he covered in bloodstains like you?” Janne smirked.

The Exorcist groaned at that, shaking his head. “No, he’s not. I doubt that’d be good for business. But he does have different-coloured eyes. One of them was gold, the other icy-blue.”

“Is he wearing contacts?”

“No. He said they were real. I’m not sure if I fully believe it, but that would explain his condition.”

“Huh. Weird.”

“And I know one of my coworkers already. Her name is Finley. She’s a nice person.”

“Wait, you like her?” Janne asked.

Geist stared back at him. “Yes?” Was that the right answer?

Janne’s jaw dropped. “You got a freakin’ crush on her?”

“Ew, no!” Geist’s nose wrinkled at that as he shook his head. “Janne, she’s literally about _your_ age or only a couple years older. I don’t think of her that way, and that would be inappropriate.”

“Ah. Gotcha. So friend, then. That’s nice.” Janne nodded a bit, before a relieved breath left him. “That’s…good, I guess.”

“Hm.” Geist decided it was best to change the subject. “How’s everything with you, other than Praline headlining the wedding entertainment?”

Janne could only shrug.“Fine, I guess. I’m still surprised Yew wanted me as the best man. I’m trying to get the speech figured out.”

“You’re the best man?” Geist asked.

The other nodded. “Surprisingly, yes. Any tips?”

“None on my end, sadly. Sorry.”

“Eh, worth a shot.” Janne shrugged again, then yawned. “I gotta sleep, and I’m sure you need to get some rest before work, so I’m gonna hang up. Good to hear from you.”

“Same with you. See you.” Geist hung up at the same time Janne did. The former Exorcist sighed, turning off his cellphone, and lying back on his hotel bed, closing his eyes. Hopefully, sleep would come to him easily.

* * *

Sleep came easier than Geist thought it would. He woke up the next morning feeling a bit groggy, but otherwise well.

After getting changed and freshened up, Geist went straight to the café. He was tempted to pick up a cup of coffee from the convenience store on the way there, but maybe he could get himself some free coffee if he came to the café early. The smell of coffee was already wafting through the café as he entered, and he noticed Finley, who was present in the main dining area with Landry.

“Oh, Geist!” Finley waved at him, smiling. “Hi!”

“Morning, Finley. Landry.” Geist took a deep breath, just as Landry turned to face him, smiling softly.

“Morning, Geist. Congrats on getting the job!” Landry grinned. “Graves told all of us last night about you joining us for the next week and a half. It’s good to have you here.”

Geist offered him a soft nod. “I appreciate having the chance to work with all of you. I’ll do my best.”

“Ah, the temp’s here?” Geist turned to see two people walk out of the doors leading into the kitchen, a guy wearing a cap and bomber jacket, and Graves himself. The bomber jacket-wearing man sighed, before looking up at Graves. “I see you caught another sucker.”

“That’s Esteemed Co-Worker to you, Reese.” Graves corrected, looking towards the other in return. “I trust all of you will get along?”

“’Course.” Reese only shrugged, before calling back to the kitchen. “Hayes, Avery, Mason! Get out here – the new guy’s here!”

Three people came out of the kitchen only moments later; a woman with dark olive skin and hair tied back with a bandanna, a blond, smaller man in glasses and a black top with a hooded pink layer underneath (or was the pink a separate, hooded shirt?) and a third person who appeared androgynous, with a light purple and yellow hoodie ontop of their t-shirt that they wore with a big “@” sign on it.

“Before we get too far,” Landry spoke up, looking between everyone, and then towards Geist, “We should introduce ourselves. Geist, we’ve met, and you’ve met Finley and Graves, but did you meet Hayes?”

“Hayes?” Geist noticed the young, blond man who was by Landry’s side, dressed in a black sweater with a pink hooded shirt underneath.

“I-I’m H-Hayes.” The glasses-wearing blond man squeaked, and Geist wondered how the hell this poor boy survived being social, ever. “Nice…to meet you…”

“Hayes is a great barista! He spends a lot of time in the kitchen or on Cat Detail, so you’ll probably see him a lot.” Landry explained, a soft grin on his face. That was when Geist heard a ‘click!’ and a bright light flash to his left. Geist’s gaze snapped towards Finley, who simply smiled, holding up her phone.

“Ooh, sorry Geist! I thought I had the flash off.” Finley offered Geist a sheepish wave of her hand. “Just wanted to get a candid of you being here, that’s all.”

Geist frowned, looking towards her. “Please don’t put the photo on your social media. Especially since I’m temporary. I-I’d just prefer it that way. Privacy.”

It would be awkward if anyone found out he had this temp job, back in Luxendarc. What would people think of the Exorcist working at a cat café?

“Okay, I won’t…today.” Finley chuckled, but Geist raised a brow.

“No.” Geist quickly shut it down, and a sigh left her.

 _“Okay,_ I’ll leave them off the blog!”

Geist turned to see the white-haired person approach him next. Now that Geist had a better, closer look of them, he noticed they had lighter olive skin, and due to the hoodie and loose clothing they wore, despite being up close to him, Geist couldn’t tell if the other was male or female based off appearance alone. Thankfully, it seemed that he didn’t have to worry about it, as they spoke up.

“I’m Avery. Non-binary, by the way – they/them pronouns.” Avery managed, shaking Geist’s hand. They smiled up at him, beaming. “Nice to meet you!”

Geist nodded, shaking Avery’s hand. They/them? Non-binary? The Exoricst knew there were people that identified as such, but he hadn’t honestly met any of them until now. “Nice to meet you too, Avery.” He made a mental note of their correct pronouns, just in case. It never hurt to remember details like that.

He noticed there were two other people – a guy in a cap and stylish bomber jacket (Reese), and a woman with light brown short hair, wearing a light brown jacket overtop a black t-shirt with a wavy-sort of design on it (who hadn’t yet introduced himself). Were they going to self-introduce, or would they be introduced like what Landry did with Hayes?

“Since she won’t introduce herself,” Finley wrapped an arm around the woman’s shoulders, “This is Mason. She’s the head chef! Or, only chef, I guess.”

“Hm.” Mason shrugged, her face a bit neutral. It was hard to tell whether she was fine with him or not, given such an expression on her face.

“And I’m Reese. Assistant manager.” The cap-wearing man spoke up as he looked Geist in the eye, raising a brow. “You better be on my good side, ‘cause you’ll be answering to me when Graves isn’t around.”

Geist nodded quickly. “Understood.” He managed. _This_ man was the assistant manager? Interesting. Geist supposed the man must be a lot more responsible, despite his casual appearance and earlier remarks about Geist himself.

Then again, given how Graves hired Geist with that strange interview and all, Geist wasn’t surprised that Graves didn’t seem to care much for the physical appearance of his employees, compared to their skillset. Sure, everyone dressed casually, but they obviously had to be here working regularly for a reason. And the fact that the others knew each other well meant that they were working together for quite some time.

“Now that we’re done introductions, I’ll be upstairs. You know where to find me in case.” Graves managed, looking between everyone. “Finley, you’re in charge of training Geist once you’re done with your usual duties.”

“You got it!” Finley offered Graves a thumbs-up. Graves soon headed upstairs, presumably to the third floor. The social media expert beamed, before looking towards the Exorcist.

“Geist, did you have breakfast? We’re going to eat something together before we start work. It’s tradition.” Finley offered.

Geist only realized, right then and there, that he forgot to eat this morning before coming to the café, so he nodded. “I’d be happy to join you.” It would give him some time to get to know the others, after all, even if he was only working with them for such a short time.

Two tables were pulled together by Landry and Avery, and Mason and Hayes both ducked into the kitchen. Geist guessed, given that those two were in charge of all the cooking at the café, that they probably made breakfast as well. As the others moved to sit down, Geist hesitated, then looked towards Finley, realizing she was on her phone.

“Er, Finley?”

She looked up from her phone at him. “Yeah?”

“Is my attire okay?” He asked, looking down briefly at his own clothes. He honestly hadn’t worn anything special. Red pants, white button-up shirt, the same black jacket he wore for the interview with Graves, and black shoes. That was it.

“We’ve got a couple spare aprons in the kitchen if you want to use one, for cleaning.” Finley reassured him, before giving him a thumbs-up. “But you look great!”

“…Thanks.” Geist managed, just as Reese spoke up.

“Geist,” Reese managed, “We gotta talk about uniforms after we’re done eating. Got it?”

“Oh no…” Geist heard Landry groan, but Reese gave his coworker a look.

“What? It’s _tradition!”_

Mason and Hayes came out with trays of food and plates for everyone to use, as well as a carafe full of coffee. Mason went back into the kitchen after putting the trays and plates down, only to come back with empty mugs for everyone to use.

Cue everyone descending on the food, trying to take what they could.

“Landry, save some for Geist!” Reese stated.

“I haven’t take more than my usual.” Landry protested, taking a third pancake. “Breakfast is important!”

A chuckle escaped Avery after they ate a piece of frittata they managed to get on their plate. “Mason, this is so good. I gotta learn the recipe sometime soon.”

“Mm. Thanks.” Mason sipped her coffee.

Geist also took a sip of his coffee, realizing that it tasted like how it was the past several days. “Hayes?”

“Huh?” Hayes looked up from his pancakes, having just swallowed a piece. He seemed like a fidgety little mouse compared to the others.

“Your coffee is good.” Geist managed. Maybe befriending Hayes would help the man ease off his own jitters a bit. He seemed like the shyest one out of the whole group. “I really like it.”

“Er…thanks.” Cue Hayes taking a few more bites of his own pancakes. Geist could only shrug and resume eating, trying pieces of frittata. Like the pancakes, they were delicious.

As he ate, he listened to the chatter from his coworkers; Mason didn’t say much, but Finley and Avery were happily teased by Reese and Landry about their love life. And then Finley turned the tables on Reese, trying to bring up a popular romance novel, only for Reese to blush and shut her up about it. There wasn’t much talked about Graves, other than Avery claiming the man must be a vampire, but Geist doubted Graves was a vampire if he could be around during the daytime.

Breakfast came to a close, as the group needed time to clean up before opening. Geist knew that meant his own work had to begin. He betted he’d be asked to start with dishwashing, so Mason could keep an eye on him.

“Opening’s soon. Time to get ready. Come on.” Mason managed, looking towards Geist, before she went into the kitchen, following Hayes.

Geist knew he was stuck between two options: Ask Reese about uniforms, or follow Mason and Hayes?

He made the decision to go after Mason, following her and Hayes into the kitchen. He didn’t trust the idea of trying on a supposed ‘uniform,’ especially since no one else was wearing uniforms. It was probably a prank done on the new workers, Geist guessed.

“Start washing. Already put the dishes in the sink for you.” Mason spoke up, her gaze looking towards the dirty dishes. “Spare apron’s inside the closet to your right if you need one. Same with gloves.”

“Thanks.” Geist managed quickly, moving to grab said supplies from the closet. It didn’t take long for him to find an apron and gloves that fit, and so he got to work.

* * *

The next few hours mainly consisted of Geist doing the dishwashing, which he didn’t mind. It was nice to occupy himself with something like this, honestly. At least it wasn’t like he was making a mess, back when he was part of the Empire and torturing people.

His breath hitched as he remembered those times. He didn’t want to do that again, too soon. Sometimes he feared his own sadism coming out and taking it on the dishes.

Good news? He hadn’t broken a thing yet.

Bad news? He found himself particularly aggressive with the mugs when scrubbing them. Hopefully he hadn’t scrubbed too hard to take off the prints they had.

He eventually was asked to wipe tables outside, in the dining area, and Geist was glad to so.

* * *

He wasn’t sure how long he wiped tables for, but that would come to a halt as Hayes approached him, appearing to steel himself before asking, “G-Geist?”

“Hm?” Geist looked towards him quietly, trying to gauge the other’s expression. “What is it?”

“H-here.” Hayes extended a cup of coffee to him. “Mason told me to…tell you that you can go on break…”

Geist gently took the cup from Hayes, and let the younger man take the bucket of water and towels from him. “Thanks.” He managed. He wasn’t sure what else to say.

“A-ah…I’m going to head back. See you in twenty.” With that, Hayes ducked back into the kitchen.

Geist looked around. It seemed that it was previously busy in the café this morning, and he would know, given all the dishes he had to wash earlier, but traffic slowed down a bit, for now. Glancing upstairs to the second floor, he noticed Finley typing away at a laptop. Was she doing work?

Taking a few sips of his coffee, he thought about whether he should check out what she was doing, or leave her alone. He didn’t want to disturb her, after all.

He then decided to head upstairs and speak with her. Maybe she could give him pointers on how to interact with Hayes. He wasn’t sure how to feel about the younger man being so nervous around him, and if they were going to be working together in the same kitchen area most of the time, he might as well befriend him a little. Right?

Carefully going up the stairs, a mostly-full cup of coffee in hand, he approached Finley at the table she sat at. There was no one else on the second floor, so it was just the two of them for now.

“Finley?” He spoke up, and she looked up from her computer. “Mind if I sit with you? I’m on break.”

“No problem at all!” She reassured him, and he quickly sat down across from her. “I’ve just been working on a few posts and scheduling them, but I’m almost done and _then_ I’m on break.” She then eyed the cup of coffee, a soft chuckle leaving her. “Hayes made that for you?”

“Yeah. He gave it to me when he told me I could have a break.” Geist explained.

“That’s nice of him.” A soft hum left her as she leaned back in her seat, her gaze glancing towards the Exorcist. “None of the rest of us can make coffee as good as Hayes can.”

“It _is_ a good cup of coffee,” Geist admitted, before he paused, recalling the younger man’s skittish behaviour. “I’m just a bit concerned that he’s scared of me, though.”

“It’s not just you, I promise.” Finley reassured him, shrugging. “He was like that when Avery first came here. And same with me, too.”

So, Hayes was just nervous _in general_ around people. Geist felt his shoulders relax at that. That was reassuring, knowing he wasn’t the only one who experienced how Hayes reacted to him. He thought about Mason, and how brief she was with her words. “What about Mason? Is she…usually the way she is?”

“You mean, brief with words and stuff? Yeah, that’s her.” Finley shrugged, pushing a few bangs out of her face. “She means well, though, and she’s pretty reliable. The first time that harasser dude came into this café, she literally threatened to give him a beating…and I’m pretty sure she would’ve done it, if he actually started a fight.”

“She did?” Geist could definitely see Mason punching someone in the face. “That seems…very Mason-like.” Perhaps she and him had some similarities, being protective over those that they knew well.

“Definitely Mason-like. She even punched Na-oh, wait.” Finley grimaced, shaking her head at her second statement. “Forget I said that one.”

Geist frowned. “An N-name?”

Finley swallowed, before leaning in to whisper to him. “We don’t talk about that guy here. It’s complicated, Graves and him don’t have the…best history, so we try not to speak of it too much during work. Forget I mentioned him, okay?”

Geist wasn’t sure if this was something he’d rather be better off knowing, but he nodded in response. He didn’t want to tick off Graves or anyone else in here, after all. “Thanks for the tip.”

“No problem.” She leaned back, smiling softly. “So, uh…changing the subject, what kind of things do you do?”

He blinked. “What do I do?”

“You know? Play games, hang out with friends…I know you said you came from outside of town, but what do you usually do?”

Geist was tempted to say _‘spend time with Rev’_ or something like that, but he wondered if that might be too personal. And he doubted he could tell her about his recent past exploits in Luxendarc, at least not now. But as he thought about the past, a few fond memories came to mind. His late wife. Their wedding.

“Dancing.” He finally managed. “I knew some amount of ballroom dancing, when I was younger. It was expected of me, for social reasons.”

Finley’s eyes widened. “Like those dances on those competition shows?” She asked.

“Er…sure.” Geist shrugged. “Like those.”

“Cool!” A happy gasp left her at that, eyes practically sparkling with excitement. “I’ve kinda dreamt of learning how to dance. I was never good at ballet when I was younger though…” Her smile faded at that as she looked him in the eye. “Do you think I can learn ballroom, though?”

Geist swallowed lightly. “Depends on how much practice you put in.” He finally answered.

“And you can teach me.”

“What?” His brows furrowed at that. “I don’t think I’m much of a teacher.”

“Who knows?” She teased, waggling her own brows. “Maybe you are~”

“I’ll try.” He finally relented. “But don’t blame me if I’m horrible at it. I’ve never taught anyone before.”

“Maybe you’re better than you think,” Finley pointed out, and Geist, despite knowing that he was not a great person, couldn’t help but grin a little.

“Maybe.”

He knew he had a lot to get used to, at this café, but this was nice. He got treated like a normal person here. And now that it sunk in, it was a relief. As long as Finley and the others didn’t know about him as an Exorcist, he was sure the week and a half would go smoothly, today included.


	4. The Power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finley tries to see what the others think of Geist, but witnesses something she didn't expect from him. Geist, later on, struggles with the consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two announcements:
> 
> 1\. Content warning: There *is* briefly suggested self-harm discussed in this chapter, but no actual self-harm happens. I figured I should mention it, though, just in case.
> 
> 2\. From hereon, new chapters will be posted biweekly! This is due to picking up biweekly posting of another fanfic (an Escape The Night fic called "Moments In Time"), on top of also regularly updating my The Last Story/Rune Factory 4 crossover fanfic "The Next Chapters." Thank you for your patience, and I hope you enjoy reading the new chapters to come!

Finley took a deep breath, looking Mason in the eye. “So, how was working with Geist?”

Mason could only shrug, about to leave the café since it was about closing time, now. Finley knew Geist was outside in the dining area, cleaning up a few tables, so she figured it was the perfect time to see what the others thought of him.

“He cleans well.” Mason muttered, just as she was putting her jacket on. “No complaints about that.”

“Well, that’s nice!” At least he does his job well. Score one for Geist!

Mason nodded, before turning towards the back door. “Gotta go. Promised to meet Grandpa. See you.”

“Have a good night! Say hi to your Grandpa for me!”

Mason gave one last wave before leaving the kitchen. Finley was glad that Mason was getting along better with her grandpa now, thanks to intervention on Avery’s part after they got to know her. Besides, that meant that Mason’s grandpa came to the café on a semi-regular basis, so that was always good for business. Finley took a moment to check the stats on the café’s blog, noting that it was the same amount of traffic as usual. That was fine, but she was sure that it would increase starting at the beginning of next week, when the music festival started.

“Finley?” Finley turned, looking up from her phone to see Geist enter the kitchen with a bucket of water and a few towels in his hands. “I didn’t realize you were back here.”

“Yeah, I was just chatting with Mason.” She admitted, putting her phone in her pocket. “She said you did a great job cleaning, so keep it up!”

“Really?” He blinked, then nodded. “Thanks. I’ll keep note of that.” He paused, looking around briefly before moving to dump the dirty water down the sink’s drain, before moving to grab a sponge by the sink to wash the bucket. “I’m glad to hear I wasn’t cause for any complaints.”

“And you did it so fast, too.” Finley vaguely recalled seeing Geist cleaning off tables in the dining area before his break, earlier in the day. “That was pretty cool.”

The water stopped running after Geist turned off the tap and hung the towels on a small rack on the side after cleaning them. Taking off his gloves, he left them on the side of the sink so the water could just drip off, before looking towards her with his red eyes. Finley momentarily wondered if the man had contacts on, or if they were real, like how Graves’ different-coloured eyes were. “Assuming you don’t have anything else to clean, I think you’re basically free to go.”

“What about you?” Geist asked, frowning slightly. “Do you still have work to do?”

“Just gonna check in with the others about a few things.” She managed, shrugging. It was probably best not to mention to Geist that she had plans to ask the others about him. “But then I’ll be out for the day.”

“I’ll be heading home, then.” Geist managed, before opening the storae cabinet to put the bucket away. As he closed it, however, Finley heard a rattling sound and looked up…just in time for the tissue boxes stacked on top of the cabinet to slip off the edge and towards Geist.

“Look out!”

Geist looked up, a gasp leaving him, but instead of trying to run out of the way or holding up both arms above him to protect himself, he held up one hand quickly, calling out.

_“Undo!”_

The tissue boxes froze in midair, before they suddenly floated to the top of the storage cabinet, stacking themselves on top of each other. In only seconds, they looked like as if they never fell off the cabinet at all. Geist took a deep breath, relieved that the boxes didn’t fall on him, and Finley could only drop her jaw at the sight.

 _He has magic, too!? He’s not just some regular, non-magic person? **Ohmygod.**_ “What was that!?”

“What was _what?”_ Geist shot back, eyes wide as he stared back at her.

“You know what I’m talking about!” She gestured to the tissue boxes stacked on top of the cabinet. “Those things fell off, and then you said _‘undo!’_ and they all just floated back ontop! Geist, that was amazing!”

“I…” Geist faltered, glancing around, and then he lowered his voice, putting both his hands together. “Finley. You can’t tell anyone about this, okay?”

She frowned. “Why not?” She, too, lowered her voice for privacy’s sakes. “You basically saved yourself from getting buried by tissue. I’m pretty sure that’s a cool trick, at least in my book.”

“It’s not just a trick…and doesn’t just apply to tissue.” A sigh left him as he brought one of his hands up to push a few bangs out of his face. He looked like he was struggling to explain it, given the hesitation in his tone, and the way he tugged at the collar of his own shirt briefly, adjusting it before he continued. “Finley, it’s…it’s an ability I’ve had for years. I’m not exactly well-liked for it, back where I come from.”

She stared back at him, trying not to frown too much, but that situation just sounded _horrible_. “People were mean to you because you could undo things from falling on you?” _Like how people were mean to me about my Jelly Donut fame?_ Sure, he didn’t know about her being the internet sensation Jelly Donut, or if he knew from watching her videos, he hadn’t mentioned it, but she had a feeling that she could relate to him in some strange way. Maybe he wasn’t a man who posted viral videos of his own abilities or something like that, but they had one thing in common; they both had something they were good at, and they got flack for it.

“It doesn’t just apply to things falling on me, either.” He shook his head. “I can ‘undo’ _anything_. Any wound, any…mistake, I can make as if it never happened.”

Finley remembered how Mason mentioned that Geist’s cleaning was good. “Is that why you’re so good at cleaning? Because you undo all the messes?”

A rough laugh left him, gaze looking down. “I _wish._ I didn’t use my powers during my shift. Didn’t want to risk getting caught.”

He didn’t look happy, given the forlorn gaze he now held. Why would someone, or multiple someones, be mean to him back where he lived just because he had abilities like that? Were they jealous? Afraid? _Maybe both,_ she guessed. A combination of that could always lead to fear and worse reactions, later on. Maybe that was why he was here; he just needed a chance to get away from people harassing him and came here for that reason!

She paused, then took a deep breath, trying to word herself well enough before saying what she wanted to say aloud. Maybe what he needed was reassurance. Reassurance that he wasn’t alone in this situation. It would help him open up a bit and feel more at ease.

“Well,” She finally managed, “If it helps you, I’m not gonna tell anyone about your powers.” Keeping it a secret from Avery might be a little harder, given that they were living together in Finley’s apartment right now, but still. “No pics on social media, too. If I _do_ take pics, I’m keeping them for myself. And…”

Should she tell him about her powers? Maybe it would help him open up to her more about this. But then again, Graves told her and the others not to show off their powers in front of him, given that he was a temp and only in town for so long.

Then again…they didn’t know that Geist had powers. Only _she_ knew. And Geist didn’t _have_ to know that everyone else had powers. She made her decision, finishing her earlier statement.

“I have powers, too.” She finally spoke, looking him in the eye. “I haven’t used them during today, but…I _do_ have magic powers. I know what it’s like. Kind of. I guess you can say I’m a newbie witch.”

“You…have magic?” He raised a brow.

She shrugged. “It’s kinda hard to explain. I manipulate words. For example, you know how I’m on social media a lot, and so I use a ton of hashtags? Remember the harasser from the other day?”

He grimaced. “Yes.”

“I used my magic on him, once.” Finley could still remember blocking and reporting him. It was nifty, and she was glad it worked. “The only catch is, the words I use have to make sense in that other person’s context. So, internet bullies who get #blocked and reported will literally get paralyzed and taken away by the police. But if you didn’t know hashtags and internet lingo, it wouldn’t work.”

“…Interesting.” Geist’s brows furrowed slightly, but a soft hum left him as he looked down at his hands, then up at her. “What if you could use ‘Undo,’ then, as long as I’m present and understand its context? If we were to experiment…”

He looked around, then took out a knife from the closest drawer.

Finley stared at him. “What are you doing?”

He paused, putting down the knife to roll up his sleeve. “I can injure myself and you can try using ‘undo’ on me. I want to see if it works.”

“We are _not_ doing that.” Finley frowned, shaking her head. “No self-harm, okay? That’s final.”

“Then…” he paused, unrolling his sleeve quickly, before gesturing to the knife on the counter, “Maybe you can use ‘undo’ on the knife? Make it go back to where it came from, as if I never took it out of the drawer in the first place.”

A sigh left her at that. Not exactly the experiment she thought it would be, but it was _something_ and it wasn’t going to harm anyone. “ _Much_ better and safer. THANK you.” She managed, before taking a deep breath as she looked at the knife on the counter. _Here it goes… “Undo!”_

The knife floated into the air, just as the drawer opened itself up. The knife then floated back into the drawer, landing in there perfectly as the drawer closed itself afterwards.

Finley stared at the drawer. _Did I just do that?_

“You did it.” Geist breathed. “I…I think it worked.”

“It worked!” Finley gasped, looking up at Geist as she hopped briefly on her heels. She noticed that he seemed stunned, perhaps even impressed, given how his eyes widened at where he “Ohmygod it worked! Does this mean…”

“You could imitate others’ magic if it’s activated with words…assuming they’re present with the right context in mind.” Geist mused. “It could be like…mimicking them. Copying them, to an extent.”

“Huh.” Finley hadn’t thought of _that._ “That sounds nifty. But given how I use my abilities, it has to be activated with spoken word, right? I can’t just say nothing and _pretend_ to make flames burst out of nowhere, for example, if I saw someone else do it without saying anything aloud. And it has to make sense according to the person I’m doing it to.”

“Maybe that’s why you using ‘undo’ worked. I understand it, so you imitating my power would activate. If I were to walk out of the room right now, and you tried to do it again, it probably wouldn’t work...” Geist shrugged. He took a deep breath, before looking her in the eye. “But if you do plan on experimenting further with this…can I be around? To watch, in case of emergency?”

Finley nodded. She knew he had a point. If she tried it again and the knife went haywire, or something else bad happened, some help was always nice to sort out the ensuing mess. “Sure. Avery could watch, too. They know about my magic.” She didn’t mention that Avery had magic, too. It wouldn’t be fair to them, nor to the rest of their coworkers.

“They can watch you.” Geist managed. _“Not_ me.”

She shook her head quickly. “Of course, not _you.”_ She clarified. “I promise I won’t tell them about your abilities.”

His shoulders visibly relaxed at that. “Thank you, Finley. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem.” She offered him a smile, before she took the keys out of her pocket. “I’ll lock up the café and let the others know that you’re leaving for the day.”

“Sounds good.” He paused, turning on his heel to head for the back door, but then he looked back once, offering her a brief wave. “And…goodnight.”

“Night!”

Finley watched him leave, and a slow breath left her as she thought about his powers – the same powers that she perfectly imitated in context. How long did he have this magic? _He said he had it for a long time, but…is he a super-powerful witch, like Graves is? Maybe that’s why he came to this city, far outside where he lives. Maybe they hate witches, where he comes from, and he needed a break from it._

She shuddered at that last thought. She didn’t like the idea of him being in danger. That didn’t seem fair to him, especially if he was using it to ‘undo’ simple things like items falling off a top shelf or something.

 _What if there’s a reason he came here to avoid attention_? She asked herself. _What if he did something far graver than what he just demonstrated?_

She couldn’t imagine him trying to use those powers to harm people. _Besides, it would be kind-of hard to ‘undo’ someone to death, right? His powers sounded better off for healing, not hurting._

It was only then that she recalled him giving the harasser the not-so-subtle death threat, during the first day they met. She swallowed, taking a deep breath.

_What if he’s actually hurt someone before…?_

_But…why?_

* * *

Geist wasn’t sure what to do, as he walked back to his hotel.

He hadn’t _meant_ to expose his powers to Finley. Not that way and not so soon, at least, even if it was by instinct. He cursed himself, shaking his head on the way back to his hotel room. What was he supposed to do? Sure, she promised to keep it secret, and he appreciated it, but…still.

_What if I have to use it for more dire circumstances, than tissue?_

What if he had to use it to kill someone, like back then? How would she react? She didn’t know anything about his past. Not really, in his opinion.

However, he hadn’t expected her to know magic of her own. That was unexpected. He had a feeling that there might be more people in this city that used magic. Maybe not the rest of his coworkers, but maybe Finley knew other people in town. What about that person whose name starts with an N? _Na.._

_We don’t talk about that guy here. It’s complicated, Graves and him don’t have the…best history, so we try not to speak of it too much during work. Forget I mentioned him, okay?_

Finley’s words echoed in his mind, and he frowned, shaking his head. So this man whose named started with _“Na”_ had some sort of history with Graves? Interesting.

Perhaps that person was one that used magic, too? What if Graves dislikes magic-users?

At least Finley promised to keep his magic a secret, as much as he planned to keep hers secret. Given that she had told him that Avery knew about her own magic, though, he suspected that Avery at least knew that magic users existed, girlfriend included. Avery would be a valuable resource to consult, if that was the case.

_And maybe Graves, too. Depends on how he feels about magic. Maybe if I don’t mention this person whose name starts with “Na,” I’ll be fine?_

Then again, Geist knew he was just only here for one and a half weeks. That was a short time.

Then _again,_ a lot of things could happen in one and a half weeks. Who knows what could go on? What if something happened where he had no choice but to use his magic? Or expose it to his other coworkers?

He knew he couldn’t worry about it too much. He had to keep his magic concealed from them, as much as he possibly could.

But if he had to ever expose himself like that, or show Finley exactly how horrible him using his powers could be…that would be a bridge he’d have to cross, whether he liked it or not.


	5. Not The Only One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finley invites Geist to hang out with her and Avery and have pizza. Geist does so, and he has questions he needs answering...and finds out he and Finley aren't entirely the only ones that have magic at A Cat's Paw.

The next two days of work were rather normal. Geist didn’t do much other than clean dishes, the floors, or the tables. He joined his coworkers for breakfast every morning, as that seemed to be a serious tradition. Besides, the coffee was really good.

He couldn’t help but wonder if one of his other coworkers had coffee-related magic. Or maybe the coffee was just that good due to Hayes’ talents. Now that Geist knew that Finley had magic, he felt a little more relaxed, knowing that he wasn’t the only magic-user around here. The fact that Avery knew about Finley’s magic but clearly didn’t mind helped, too.

The third day of work had Geist closing up for the night, along with Finley. Avery had went home ahead of them, vowing to order pizza for herself and Finley.

“Are you sure you don’t want to join me and Avery for pizza, tonight?” Finley asked, looking up at Geist as he finished putting his cleaning supplies away. “I’m sure it would be fine.”

“I’ll be fine.” Geist reassured her. “Thank you for offering this chance, but I should really just head back to my hotel room.”

“You sure?” Finley offered him the widest doe-eyes she could. “I would love to get to know you more. And Avery wanted to know if you’re a vampire or not.”

“What?” He stared at her. “Me? A vampire?”

“Yeah! Because of your Transylvanian accent.” Finley stated, before trying to hold up her arm in a dramatic gesture, imitating his accent. “Undo~!”

“Oh, _Crystals.”_ Geist couldn’t help but laugh. It wasn’t a perfect imitation, and though odd, it was endearing. “Very well. I suppose hanging out with you and Avery wouldn’t hurt.”

“Great!” Finley started dragging him out of the café, and Geist noticed her fish her keys out of her pocket. “We’ll have pizza, I can introduce you to BL@st Zone, and we can chat while playing!”

His nose wrinkled a little at the second part. “What is…Blast Zone, exactly?”

“It’s a game about guys fighting, but it gets _really_ steamy.” Her eyes lit up, and a chuckle left her at that. “It’s my favourite!”

“A steamy game about men fighting?” Geist didn’t know those types of games even existed until now. “That…should be interesting.”

“Come on, then!” Finley beamed, dragging him along. “Let’s go!”

He let her drag him home. Might as well. It wasn’t like he knew where Finley lived, anyway.

* * *

“Geist is with me~!” Finley singsonged as she led Geist into her and Avery’s apartment. Avery had just opened one of two boxes of pizza, and they looked up to see Geist and Finley.

“Hey, Geist.” Avery greeted, before they approached Finley to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Hi, Finley.”

Finley felt her heart skip a beat, but she giggled and kissed Avery back on the cheek. “Hi, cutie. Hope we didn’t keep you waiting too long.”

“The pizza just got here a few minutes ago, so you’re right on time.” Avery reassured her. “I got some plates we can use. Go ahead and dig in!”

“Thanks!”

Geist paused, looking down at his shoes, then up at Avery. “Should I take off my shoes first?”

“Er, sure.” Avery shrugged. “Shoes, flip-flops, barefeet or whatever are fine as long as the floor doesn’t get too dirty.”

Geist decided to take off his shoes and just go for walking around in socks, for his own sake. The apartment did look a little messy, with a few leftover takeout boxes stacked in one corner of the kitchenette area, but it wasn’t too bad.

“You should’ve seen me at my old place.” Avery sighed, glancing towards the boxes, then towards the open ones full of pizza on the coffee table. “It was absolute trash.”

Finley couldn’t help but chuckle as she looked to her significant other. “I think we’ve gotten better at that since we got together, though.”

“Agreed.”

“You both weren’t roommates before you started dating?” Geist asked, raising a brow as he picked up a piece of pizza.

“Nah.” They shook their head. “Before I met Finley, I was apartment sitting for my Aunt Wendy, in this city.” Avery explained, just as they picked up a slice of pizza. “After I started working at A Cat’s Paw and later got together with Finley, I moved in with her once my aunt got back.”

“We’ve been together for about six months, now.” Finley smiled, still remembering the very first day she and they shared their first kiss. Sure, it happened after horrible circumstances with that bully and all, but the kiss and makeup after was _so_ worth it. “It’s worked out pretty well!”

Geist stared between both of them awkwardly, before he took a quick bite of his slice. “Well, I’m very happy for you two.”

Finley couldn’t help but beam back at him. She didn’t blame him for looking so awkward. She guessed that bringing him here did make him feel a little like a third wheel, but she hoped he could feel comfy hanging out here regardless. “Thanks!”

As the three of them sat down on the couch, as Finley was setting up the game for Geist to play, Avery’s cat, Mochi, tried to reach a paw towards the pizza.

“Crap! Mochi, no!” Avery tried to bat the cat away from the pizza, leaning forwards but that was when they tripped, having leaned forward too far.

One of their arms landed directly in the remainder of the pizza. Geist grimaced as Finley quickly pulled Avery out of the mess, but it was too late – their arm was now covered in cheese and tomato sauce.

“That does _not_ look good.” Finley lamented, just as Avery looked toward their arm with a groan.

“That was my good sweater, too…” They stood up, sighing. “I’ll get changed. Sorry about the rest of the pizza…”

* * *

Geist figured now was a good time to break his power to Avery. Why not let them see it in action? Besides, he had a feeling he could trust Finley’s significant other, especially if they were already aware of Finley’s magic as is. _“Undo.”_

All the cheese and tomato sauce vanished off Avery’s arm. Avery gasped, staring at their arm, before staring at Geist. “Whoa, _what_ did you do!? Do you have cleaning magic or something!?”

Finley stared at Geist. “I didn’t expect you to reveal your magic so soon…”

Geist shrugged. “You already know, and you told me Avery knew about your powers. I figured it would be safe. Saves them from cleaning their arm, anyway.”

“Whoa.” Avery looked between Geist and their arm, eyes wide with wonder. “So, uh, you just can…erase things? Is that your magical power?”

Geist shook his head. “Not quite. I can ‘undo’ them. It’s easier explained once you see more demonstration of my magic.”

“He prevented tissue boxes from falling on him at work.” Finley managed, looking towards Avery.

“Wait,” Avery looked towards Finley, eyes widening. “You knew about this already!? Since when?”

“Since the first day I started working.” Geist admitted. Avery staring between him and Finley made him see them as a deer-in-the-headlights, if only for a moment. “To be fair, I told her not to tell anyone else. And she told me not to tell anyone else about her own magic. So…” He shrugged, unsure of what else to say.

“I guess since you already know about Finley’s magic, _and_ you let me know about your power, I might as well tell you mine.” Avery shrugged. “I have trash magic.”

Geist stared at them for a full moment. “Are you serious? You also have magic?” _Trash magic? That was…new._

“Yep. Trash magic.” Avery grinned. “Trash magic is my thing. Watch…” She pointed at two empty cans of soda from the recycling bin, and they suddenly floated up in the air. Geist watched as the cans peeled themselves into ribbons, before meshing and moulding themselves together to become first a ball of aluminum, and then…a small statue of a cat, landing perfectly on the ground.

“Ta-da~!” Finley sing-songed. The Exorcist smiled softly, observing the cat. It was well-formed, and it was definitely a recognizable cat.

“It’s supposed to be Mochi.” Avery admitted, gesturing to their pet cat. The white cat meowed, looking up at Avery with an unamused expression. Avery could only chuckle at the cat, before looking towards Geist. “They’re never impressed enough with all the sculptures I make of them, though.”

“I’ve been trying to persuade Avery to make some artwork out of it.” Finley piped up, beaming. “I can totally see you selling these!”

Avery offered her a sheepish grin. “I don’ t know if I want to sell trash to people…”

“It’s not trash if it’s art!”

Geist thought of Kamiizumi, and how he basically took care of three cats (assuming Kamiizumi’s now-adopted daughter Minette counted, with her being half-cat). “I think I know a few people that might like it as gifts. There are a couple cat lovers I know back at home.”

“Did you hear that?” Finley pointed out. “Potential clientele!”

“It also depends on how much trash we get every week.” Avery also supplied, sitting back down on the couch. “I mean, I can see the value of making them into new mini-sculptures instead of being thrown in the landfill, but I don’t know how much time I can throw into it, you know.”

“That’s also fair.” She admitted, shrugging. “It would be good magic practice, though.”

Speaking of magic…since Avery and Finley were both aware of it and used it themselves, Geist knew he had more questions. He still remembered that contract Graves initially gave him, and he paused, before asking. “Does everyone else at the café have magical powers, or is it just the three of us?” Geist was curious. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, being around so many magic users.

“Uh….” Avery faltered, struggling to find proper words, but Finley quickly chimed in, shaking her head.

“Ah, no. They don’t. But they know that me and Avery have magic. They’re cool with it.”

That certainly explained why no one else seemed to have any odd behaviour…save for Graves. Maybe Graves was just an odd man with odd behaviour in general. Geist knew some people that were like that.

The contract from earlier came back to mind, however, and Geist, looked between the other two. “Did either of you ever receive a contract mentioning _gaining great power, but at a price_ on it, when you were initially hired?”

“No.” Both of them answered quickly – _too_ quickly for Geist’s tastes. He decided that if they knew anything about Graves and potential magic, they probably weren’t going to tell him. And that was fine – he’d figure it out himself, at some point.

“That’s odd.” He managed. “Because I had something like that. When I pointed it out to Graves, he switched it out for a contract that didn’t mention it.”

“Maybe that’s his way of saying ‘congrats! You got hired’ or something.” Avery finally spoke up, tilting their head a little. “I know he can be pretty weird, and I thought he was a vampire, but he’s actually a decent person. Doubt that’s something you should overthink.”

“Thanks.” He decided to leave the subject there. He could always do more snooping later, after all.

As the three got settled into playing Bl@st Zone and eating pizza, Geist only had one more question.

“Explain to me why we’re not doing any route other than Akiya’s route?”

Finley shrugged, eating her piece of pizza. “The whole game is trash except for Akiya's route. That’s why.”

Geist decided not to ask any more questions for the rest of the night after that.


	6. A Day Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geist gets to know his fellow coworkers during a day off.

When Geist came to the café the next day, he found out two things.

  1. The café was closed for the day to restock and prepare for the upcoming crowds that would be at the café during the music festival, which started tomorrow and occurred for the rest of the week.
  2. Graves would, apparently, treat any of the employees present to dinner.



Geist liked free food, so he figured this would be a good reason to stick around despite today being an ‘off’ day. It seemed that despite the café being closed, most if not everyone working at A Cat’s Paw was still present. Landry hammered away at a wooden structure, Avery and Finley went upstairs to film a video for her Jelly Donut-related stuff, and Reese was sketching something on a notepad.

Geist thought he saw Hayes earlier, but he hadn’t seen him since the younger man slinked into the kitchen. The Exorcist guessed Hayes must be making a cappuccino or some sort of drink for himself. Meanwhile, Reese was reading something off in a corner. Geist hadn’t seen Mason come in, so he guessed she might not show up until later, given that was a day off.

So…who to approach or talk to? He guessed Graves would be upstairs in his office, sure, but could he just go up to him and ask him about all of this? Probably not.

Geist figured that Landry might be the first person he might try to get to know about. The younger man was always so kind and gentle to everyone and anyone that entered the café, and was also the most sociable. Maybe he might know a thing or two about Graves.

Landry had just put his hammer down when he looked up at Geist approaching, offering him a smile. “Oh, hi Geist! I hope you’re adjusting well with everything. I know we haven’t talked much, but I hope Finley’s been helping you out.”

“She has been a huge help.” Geist admitted, offering him a nod of acknowledgement. He got on a knee to inspect the wooden structure. “What’s this for?”

“Graves asked me to add a ramp or two to this for the café.” Landry managed. “He’s picking up two stray kittens later today to bring in here.”

Geist was more than aware of the stray cats Graves loved to keep bringing to the café, and for customers to potentially adopt. Graves was in charge of home inspections to see if potential owners were qualified to adopt the cats, on top of admin work for the café. It certainly explained why the owner and boss often wasn’t physically present in the main dining area, for sure.

“You made _all_ of these structures yourself?” Geist asked Landry. “I didn’t know you had a knack for carpentry.”

“Yeah, I did. After Graves found out what I could do, he asked me to be in charge of making them.” A sheepish grin appeared on the other’s face. “What about you? Do you have any particular hobbies?”

“Er…ballroom dancing.” He decided now was not a good time to mention anything involving his past. Especially given how bloody it was. “I haven’t done any in a while, but it would be nice to get back into the hobby. I’ve been thinking about it.”

“That’s nice.” Landry smiled at that. “I don’t know much about dance, but I’m glad you have something to enjoy.”

Geist paused, thinking. Perhaps he could subtly try to find out more about this café, and potentially its owner. “So, how long have you been working here? And…how did you end up here?”

“A while.” Landry shrugged a bit. “Over a year, at least. Probably closer to two. As for how I got here…” He paused, his eyes softening a little. “You could say that I needed help, and Graves was willing to. He’s done a lot for me, and I really appreciate that. He’s a good boss.”

That seemed rather vague. Geist knew better than to press for details, though. “Is he often so busy?”

“With all the admin work and house visits, yeah. It keeps him occupied. I think that’s a major reason why he has Reese around to look after things in the first place…” Landry paused, before yawning. “Oof. Sorry about that. I’ve been working on this since I got here, so…”

“Do you need coffee? I think I saw Hayes in the back room.” Geist managed. “I can get you some, if you want.” Maybe Hayes could help him with the espresso machine. That would be nice. Also, it would give Geist another chance to chat with the somewhat-nervous man.

Landry nodded, smiling. “That would be awesome. Thanks, Geist!”

“No problem.” With that, Geist slipped into the kitchen.

* * *

In the kitchen was where Hayes was. It looked like he just finished cleaning a few dishes, wiping a few down and putting them away. Geist took a deep breath, hoping to not scare the younger man as he spoke up.

“Hayes?”

“A-ah! Geist!” Hayes nearly dropped the plate he held, eyes wide as he turned to see him. “I-s-sorry, I didn’t see you there!”

“It’s okay.” The older man managed awkwardly, taking a deep breath and trying not to grimace. “It’s just me. I was just coming in here to get some coffee for myself and Landry, that’s all.” _So much for trying to not scare him…_

“Aha….I see.” The younger man hesitated, putting the plate down on the nearby counter, before asking, “Maybe I can, er, make it for both of you?”

“You don’t mind?” The other asked.

Hayes shook his head. “No. I don’t mind…it’ll help me get my mind off a few things.”

“Er, thanks.”

“No problem.”

Geist watched Hayes get to work, grabbing two clean mugs from off the shelf. He then paused, before grabbing a third cup. Probably for Hayes himself, Geist guessed. The younger man did appear a lot calmer in time, however, as he got to work making espressos for Geist, Landry and himself. Perhaps that was why Hayes made good coffee; once he got in the zone, it was easy for him to relax despite the busy, usually-social work of being at the café.

In a way, Geist could relate; he didn’t like being around people so much. He liked attending to his own work and other duties (and not just the bloody, violent ones either).

“Do you...hate people?”

“Wha?” Hayes blinked, looking up at him. Geist realized that the wording might not be right, and he shook his head, trying to clarify.

“What I mean is…I noticed you seem pretty restless when I just appear, so…I wanted to know if there’s any way I could accommodate, for your comfort. I imagine that my temporary presence, working here, isn’t an easy change to deal with.” The Exorcist managed.

“It’s not like I hate them…it’s just that they say it’s like a muscle; you have to work on talking to them to get better at it. I thought I’d try it, so…” Hayes could only shrug.

So the younger man really was generally nervous around people. Geist nodded, before asking, “Well…if there’s anything you need to talk to me about, let me know. Especially if I scare you by suddenly appearing.”

He thought he saw the faintest of smiles on Hayes’ face at that. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

* * *

Geist left the kitchen with two mugs of espresso in hand only minutes later, offering one to Landry before taking a sip from his own cup. He noticed Hayes retreat upstairs with his own cup, and then Geist looked towards where Reese was sitting. He was still sketching in his notepad, but it was clear he’d flipped a few pages through so far.

What was Reese drawing, anyway? Was the assistant manager an artist in his spare time? _Can’t imagine he gets a lot of time off if he’s assistant manager_. Geist mused. _He probably has been drawing for quite a while, taking advantage of this opportunity…_

“What are you drawing?”

Reese jolted at Geist suddenly speaking up, trying to hide the contents of his notepad from view. “Does it matter? Er…”

Geist raised a brow. “I’m just curious, that’s all. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Alright, you caught me.” Reese sighed, before revealing the sketches to him. “I’m working on a few designs for the café’s uniforms. Honestly, it sucks you didn’t get to try on our previous one, because it would’ve been _hilarious_ …not that I’d ever let Graves make us wear them for the general public, that is.”

Geist blinked, remembering how Reese had tried to call him over for uniforms on the first day of work, before scanning the designs. “I’m no design expert, but these uniforms of yours are pretty nice.”

“Thanks.” Reese grinned slightly, before a sigh escaped him. “You have no idea how many times Graves has made uniforms that are really bad.”

“Oh?” The Exorcist raised a brow. “How bad?”

Cue Reese groaning, burying his head in his hands momentarily. “He used both checked _and_ different-coloured types of plaid. In the same outfit. That was his most recent attempt.”

“Oh Crystals.” Geist didn’t want to imagine _that._

Reese grimaced. “Yeah…this isn’t the first time he’s tried anything. See, my dad’s a fashion designer, and I want to follow in his footsteps. Starting with making these uniforms bearable to wear in public. They’re great for initiating newbies into staff, but not for much else right now.”

Geist frowned. “Is that hy you were trying to get me into a uniform on the first day of work?”

Cue the mischievous grin from Reese. “Yeah. Finley would’ve taken a photo of you, too.”

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes.” Reese laughed at that, and his shoulders shook a little. Geist figured that the younger man was imagining it all before his eyes, and Geist wished he could get those same images out of his head right now. “Speaking of work….I noticed you’ve been doing a good job of cleaning, lately. Think you can handle the larger crowds coming up?”

Geist nodded. “I’m sure I can.” He’d been doing a decent job of cleaning, or so he hoped. Mason had said good things about his cleaning, according to Finley, and no one else complained about him.

“That’s good.” Reese paused, sketching a few more lines into one of the drawings he was working on, before managing, “You know, I did doubt you being hired as a temp so suddenly when you started. But I think you’ve proven yourself. I know that you and Finley are hanging out.”

The Exorcist shrugged. “And?”

“Honestly, I’m glad you’re here. That dude that tried to harass Finley hasn’t shown up _once_ since you got hired.” Reese managed, looking up at him. “I think you scared him off for good. Helps both her and the café, so…thanks.”

At least his potential death threat did something to help them, even after Geist was gone (or at least Geist hoped the harasser would never come back, even after Geist was done his work here). “I’m glad to hear it. Thank you.”

“No problem.” Reese smiled, before getting back to work. Geist decided to sit back at one of the closest tables and drink the rest of his espresso. It was going to get cold if he didn’t finish it soon, after all.

* * *

Finley hoped that Geist was doing well, getting along with the others. She and Avery just finished filming a few short videos for Jelly Donut, and she was eager to see how Geist was getting along seeing everyone and hanging around them. He’d mostly spent time with her and Avery, out of everyone, and thought she supposed it made sense, given the circumstances of him keeping his magic a secret from everyone else, Hopefully he could at least be comfortable around the others. Sure, they had a few days of working together at this point, but it wasn’t like Geist had actually gone out of his way to socialize with anyone.

“H-hey, you two.” Finley looked up to see Hayes enter the top floor, and she beamed, waving a little.

“Hey, Hayes! Wanna sit with us?”

“Er…sure.”

Avery also greeted Hayes, before a relieved sigh escaped them at the smell of Hayes’ espresso that he held. “I should have went to get some coffee earlier. That smells really good.”

“Thanks.” Hayes paused, his gaze flickering downstairs, and then up at Finley and Avery. “Geist is pretty nice. I ended up making an espresso for him and Landry. He startled me, though.”

“Yeah, I can see that happening.” Finley managed. She could definitely imagine a spooked-out Hayes the moment Geist spoke up near him. “I hope you two have been getting along?”

“We have.” Hayes took a seat beside Avery, taking a few sips of his espresso. “Are you two filming?”

“We just wrapped up.” Avery reassured him. “Nail tutorial, DIY-accessories, and all that.”

“All I gotta do is finish editing tonight, and they should be ready to post for the next few weeks.” Finley beamed, before offering Avery a wink. “Thanks for helping me out, by the way.”

“No problem!” Avery smiled back. Finley smiled, before looking towards Hayes. “What about you? Just relaxing and having coffee, now?”

“Yeah…I guess.” Hayes took another sip, before speaking up again. “I think Geist is getting along with the others.”

“Oh, good. I’m glad to hear it.” A relieved sigh left Finley at that. She would feel awkward if Geist wasn’t getting along with anyone, or just being awkward around them as is.

“I think there’s something hidden about him, though.”

“Huh?” Finley stared at Hayes. “Like what?”

“R-remember when we…started using our magic?” Hayes took a long sip of his espresso, before looking her in the eyes. “I don’t know if it’s the same with him, but I’ve had this feeling that he might know some, too.”

“You just knew?” Avery asked, frowning. “Just like that?”

“Maybe I’m just overreacting.” Hayes sighed, shaking his head. “With him being new, and all.”

Uh oh. Finley swallowed. Could witches generally sense magic from other magic users? Was this a thing? If Hayes was feeling that way, what about the rest of her friends? What about Graves?

Ohhh no. This can’t end well. “Do you know if anyone else feels that way about Geist, Hayes?”

“No….just me.”

She relaxed a little. If it was just Hayes, then maybe it was just him overreacting due to Geist being new. Hayes wasn’t always quick to adjust to change, given how he wasn’t the best with socializing as is. Then again, Finley knew she should be careful. She made a promise to Geist to keep the rest of their coworkers from knowing that he had magic. She felt bad about it…mainly because the rest of her coworkers also had magic, and were trying to keep that from Geist, as Graves requested before Geist started working with them.

_We’re in too deep now. Hopefully no one else finds out about Geist having magic…and hopefully Geist doesn’t find out about the others, too. But I’m not so sure…_

* * *

“My esteemed employees. Your attention, please.”

Geist knew he hadn’t seen much of Graves. There were the glimpses o fhim during work, going up to his office or leaving the building, but not much otherwise. Given that Graves was busy with house appointments for adopting cats and a lot of the admin work, though, it made sense that he would stay in such isolation.

The words on the contract still haunted Geist. It hadn’t been the one he signed, at the end, but there was still something odd about it. Also, the way Finley and Avery denied ever having the words ‘great power but at a price’ on it made him think that they did sign those sorts of contracts. _What about everyone else? Did they sign those, too?_

“Geist.” It was then that Geist realized that he hadn’t paid attention. He looked up to see the other man look him in the eye, his icy blue eye making direct contact with Geist’s own. “Geist…I’m watching you.”

Geist stared back. “What..?” _Did he know that I’ve been using magic somehow? Or…_

“You’ve been learning very quickly.” Graves smiled softly. “I forget you’re still new. You’ve been doing a wonderful job with keeping everything clean, here.”

“I’m just doing my best, but thank you.” Geist managed, shrugging. He felt his shoulders relax. _Thank Crystals…he just meant by my cleaning in general. So_ that’s _what he was talking about…_

“So you have….so you have.” Graves paused, his gaze drifting towards the others as he held up a bag full of takeout boxes. “I’ve brought dinner with me, for tonight.”

“Oooh!” Finley’s eyes lit up. “What is it? Sushi? Burgers?”

“We’re trying that new burger place that just opened up.” Graves answered. “I wasn’t sure what to get, so I got their most recommended products.” Landry and Mason had just put tables together. Geist decided to help, grabbing two chairs to bring over. As everyone congregated at the two tables, Graves taking out the burgers.

Some of the burgers looked…mildly odd, honestly. Some were normal looking, with tomato and lettuce, but others had some sort of ground, unidentifiable meat as an extra topping, while others were straight-up neon-coloured.

“Whoa.” Avery picked up a burger, noticing the neon-green patty. “Is this vegetarian, or…?”

“It’s supposed to be half-plant-based, half-meat.” Graves pointed out. “I don’t know why it’s so green, though.”

Mason picked up an orange burger, taking a bite. “…they used pumpkin to make the bread for this one.”

“Interesting.” Geist picked up a blue one, before taking a bite. “This…has blueberries in it.”

“Blueberries?” Reese raised a brow. “Does that taste okay?”

Geist shook his head. “It tastes…too sweet for a burger.”

“Really?” Finley stared up at him. “Can I try a bite?”

“Eh, sure.” He offered her a bite of the burger, and she took a bite, chewing a bit before swallowing.

“Ohmygod. It DOES taste like blueberries!”

“Ah, yes, about that…” Graves added, “that’s apparently one of their best-selling dessert burgers. The patty is, apparently, entirely made of blueberries.”

“That suddenly explains a lot.” Geist could only manage, just before a chuckle escaped Avery at that.

“I should take my Aunt Wendy to this place if she hasn’t checked it out yet. I think she’d like it. Mason, maybe you could take your grandpa, too?”

Mason could only shrug, taking another bite of her burger. “…don’t see why not. Gramps did mention wanting to try something new.”

As everyone ate and conversed with each other over the odd, but tasty food, Geist occasionally glanced up at Graves. Graves was in the middle of talking to Reese about something, but Geist couldn’t hear them from where they sat, as they were on the opposite end of the table from Geist and speaking in lower voices. He wondered what they were talking about.

Was about him? The food? Who knows?

Despite his curiosity about Graves and the rest of his fellow staff, Geist had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to learn much more about them. At least, not today.

Little did Geist know that things would rapidly change the next day.


	7. Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geist's suspicions about his fellow staff and Graves grow, and vice versa. A face familiar to Finley puts her and him in danger, forcing Geist to take desperate measures...

Geist knew he hadn’t talked to exactly everyone on staff. There was still Mason to talk to, but he hadn’t had the chance to talk to her on the day off, given how she mainly arrived for dinner and not much else. He hadn’t talked to Graves, either, and Geist intended to get to the bottom of things regarding the odd contract and all the magic going on.

As he approached the café, he noticed none other than Graves, inspecting what appeared to be a now-rusted soda machine. Geist couldn’t help but frown at the sight of the machine. He hadn’t seen it in such a bad condition the day before, so…why was it rusted now?

And why was Graves studying it so closely? Taking a deep breath, Geist turned, moving in Graves’ direction to approach him.

“Graves? Morning. Is everything okay?”

Graves looked up at Geist, blinking.

“Ah, Geist.” A soft frown remained on his face. “I’m sorry that you have to see this. I’ll be in shortly, just leave this up to me.”

“Do you remember this machine being rusted the day before?”

Graves didn’t say anything, his gaze looking towards the machine.

Geist paused, reaching towards the machine to inspect the rust further, and—

Graves’ hand. The man immediately wrapped his hand around Geist’s wrist, pulling it away from the junk.

 _“Don’t_ touch it.” Geist never heard Graves’ voice turn so cold, so suddenly. Graves tensed as Geist looked up at him, and the other man shook his head, letting go of Geist’s wrist. “Forgive me. It’s too dangerous to do this without the correct procedure. You haven’t learned enough, yet. I’d rather you just focus on the café and leave this to me.”

Geist’s gaze flickered towards the rusted machine, and then up at Graves. Could he learn more from Graves if he exposed his power to him? It was a risk. It was risky enough knowing that Finley and Avery knew about his magic, but…he had a feeling that Graves might know something about all of this, too. There was something he was hiding.

Then again, maybe it was better to keep it a secret from his own boss right now. Just...for now. But he could try to ask about the situation, right?

“What’s really going on, Graves?” Geist looked him in the eye, brow furrowing a little. He wanted to know all the answers, despite knowing too well that simply asking might not get him much.

Graves looked towards the rusted machine, and then took a deep breath, before looking towards Geist. “That corrosion…eats more than just metal. You don’t know the proper way to handle it, and I can’t teach you quickly enough.”

As Graves finished his explanation, Geist couldn’t help but pause, absorbing that information. It sounded like the other man was wording things so vaguely...for a reason.

But why?

“Please, just leave this to me.” Graves managed. “Just focus on the café, alright?”

Geist nodded. “Okay. Uh…” He looked towards the café, then towards Graves. “I’ll…see you in there, I guess.” Even as he walked towards the café, figuring he should probably not be late for work, he couldn’t help but feel like something was wrong.

* * *

Finley was surprised that she got to the café first, this morning. Usually Geist was early enough to speak with her for a couple minutes before he had to get the cleaning supplies ready, but he wasn’t here.

She heard the bells of the shop doors ring as they opened, and she turned to see Geist walk in.

“Hey, Geist!” She smiled, waving. “Hope you slept well?”

“I did.” He approached her, offering a reassuring nod towards her. There was some sort of conflict in his eyes. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it didn’t seem good.

“Hey…you okay?” She raised a brow a bit. “You seem worried.”

“er…it’s nothing.” He shook his head. “Just still tired, I guess. I’ll be fine.”

“If you need a cup of coffee, I think Hayes is already at the back.” She reassured him.

He smiled, just a bit. “I’ll ask him for a cup if I can. Thanks, Finley.” With that, he headed into the back.

“Huh.” Reese sauntered over to Finley as Geist ducked into the kitchen, frowning a bit. “Is it just me, or does something seem up with him?”

“I don’t know.” Finley shrugged, turning to face her coworker.

“Does he know about your magic?”

Finley froze. “Er….”

Reese sighed. “He knows, doesn’t he.”

“He’s known since the first day of work.” Finley confessed.

Reese groaned, facepalming himself. “Finley! Seriously?”

“It’s okay, though. He’s completely fine with it”

“Does he know that all of us has magic, or just you?”

“Just me and Avery.” She managed. “But no one else. I made sure to tell him about no one else. Besides, Avery told him voluntarily.”

“What about him?”

She raised a brow. “Geist? Having magic? I mean, I don’t know…” She shrugged. She knew she made a promise to Geist not to tell anyone about his magic, and she intended to keep it. “He’s been around people that use magic before. That’s all.”

“That makes more sense, then.” Reese paused, turning as if about to go get to work, but then he looked her in the eye again. “Just…keep a close eye on him in case, okay? Last thing I want is him finding out about everyone. If he’s known about magic and people using magic before, I don’t think he’s a threat or anything, but…you never know.”

She nodded. “I promise.” She managed. Only seconds later, she heard the bell ring, and she noticed Graves walk in. She put on a smile, waving. “Morning, Graves!”

“Ah, Finley…good morning.” Graves offered her a nod, before clearing his throat. “I’ll be in and out today. Maintenance work.”

The assistant manager sighed. “Are we finally going to get the sink back to normal?” Reese asked.

Graves shook his head. “Not that kind, unfortunately. Security improvements.”

Finley remembered the last time she overheard Graves saying such a thing. That had been before Nacht showed up, right? So…why the security improvements now? Nacht was gone. Was there some other threat he was concerned about?

What if it was Geist? Did he catch on to the fact that Geist had magic?

_Ohhhh crap. We’re screwed at some point, aren’t we?_

* * *

“Morning.”

“Morning.” Geist looked up to see Mason, who was already at prep work. She looked him in the eye, before shrugging. “You’re later than usual.”

“I overslept a little.” Geist lied, as he put his coat in the closet. “That’s all.”

“Hm.” Mason

Geist wondered if Mason might know anything about Graves and the others. Or other people having magic. Why not ask?

“Mason?”

She looked up from her prep work. “Yeah?”

Geist took a deep breath. _Here we go…“_ When I was first hired, Graves accidentally gave me a contract that mentioned the words ‘great power, but at a price.’ He switched it out for something omitting those words once I pointed it out to him, but I was wondering if you knew what that meant.” Geist managed. “Avery and Finley told me, a few days ago when I hung out with them, that they said that they didn’t get anything like that, but…I don’t think they were telling the truth.”

“What do you think?” Mason asked back.

He frowned. “What do I think what?”

“What do you think it means? Great power but at a price?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I thought I’d ask you.”

She simply shrugged. “Don’t need to worry about it.”

Maybe Mason doesn’t know anything. Geist mused, shaking his head. “Er, I’m going to get to work. Thanks, though.”

Mason shrugged, moving towards the stove to start cooking. “No problem.”

Geist thought he heard the snapping of fingers, and the pan Mason had lit up in flames. Geist didn’t say a thing, staring at the flickering heat, before deciding to just get to work. Was it magic? Or was it just her regular cooking? Who knows?

_Does everyone here have magic, too? But why hide it? Safety? Or something else?_

* * *

The day went by with nothing else strange going on, much to Geist’s relief. He and Finley ended up having to close for the night. Avery went home ahead of Geist and Finley so they could order pizza, and Finley invited Geist to come hang out with them.

“I have many questions, and I don’t think I have enough answers.” Geist managed, looking up at Finley as she locked up the café.

“I have bad news.” Finley managed, looking up at him. “Reese knows that you know that me and Avery have magic.”

“That’s bad?” Geist frowned. “Why? I thought you said they were cool with it?”

“They are, it’s just…I was kinda-told by my boss to not mention my magic to you. At all.”

“Does Graves know that I know that you have magic?” Geist asked.

“I doubt it. He was really busy today. Something about security improvements.”

That was when Geist remembered the rusted machine. Graves telling him not to touch it. “Speaking of Graves…he and I noticed a rusted machine on the way to work, today. I tried to inspect the rust, but Graves literally forced my hand away from it.”

“What?” Finley’s eyes widened instantly at that. “Wait…he stopped you from touching rust?”

He nodded. “Yeah. He said something about it being too dangerous to get rid of it without the correct procedure.”

“You couldn’t just _Undo_ it?”

He shook his head. “I didn’t want to try it. Graves still doesn’t know I have magic.”

“Fair.” She conceded. A sigh left her, and she shook her head. “If that’s the case, though…I’m a little worried.”

“Why?”

“Because the last time I heard of rust like that, things did not go well. There was this guy, and…” She swallowed. “Remember how I told you there was that guy I told you to never tell you about? He’s involved in this.”

Before Geist could ask who this ‘he’ really was, he heard someone else speak up.

“Well, well, well…isn’t that a _shame,_ kitten?”

Geist froze, and then turned to see a man. He looked about Graves’ age, but with white hair, and he wore an old orange jacket. There was also a metal baseball bat in his hands, and it did not look like he used it to play baseball. At all.

He noticed Finley gasp from the corner of his eye. “You’re…”

“Did you honestly think your magic would hold forever? You’re just a newbie. Seems like you _still_ are.” The man took a step closer, then another, before a menacing grin appeared on his face. “Might as well use you and your friend here to send the message.”

Geist frowned. He sensed a malevolence about this man. Something was off. “I’m sorry, but have we met?”

“No. But you don’t need to know.” A brief chuckle left the other man. “How about we get this over with? Stay still.”

Geist, immediately, grabbed Finley by the arm and started running in the opposite direction from the other man. He heard the other man let out a hiss, trailing them, and Finley let out a screech.

“Ohmygod! Why now!? Why _him!?_ Why!?”

Geist did his best to keep running, trying to look ahead so he wouldn’t run into anyone. The music festival was going on, so he figured that if he and Finley could make it into a large crowd, they might be able to lose the man trailing them. “Who the hell is he!?”

“Someone you _don’t_ want to fight!” Finley yelled back. She nearly tripped over her own feet, and Geist had to let go of her so he himself wouldn’t accidentally fall. “Just keep running!”

“You’ve met him before!?”

“Kind of! It’s a long story!”

Geist went left, then right, then left again through the alley. He felt the vibrations of the loud, synthpop music from up ahead, and he looked ahead of himself to see a large crowd, a stage with flashing lights, and loud speakers. Normally, Geist stayed away from huge, festival-like events if he didn’t have to go, but this area would be his and Finley’s saving grace right now.

“Stay with me.” Geist hissed at Finley as he grabbed her wrist. “If we get in the crowd, we can lose him.”

“You sure?”

“Yes! Now come on!” And with that, he dashed towards the crowd, still holding Finley close.

* * *

Geist couldn’t remember how long he ran, but eventually he lost steam. There was only so much he could run in one sitting, so suddenly, even if there was someone out to do harm to him and his companion. It didn’t help that he pushed past so many people in the process, either, but their complaints were drowned out by the music festival’s techno music.

He let go of her wrist, forcing himself to a stop as he heaved a breath, looking up at Finley. “You okay?”

“Ohmygod, ohmygod, _ohmygod.”_ Finley heaved several breaths, looking around. “Is he gone?”

Geist looked around quickly to check. Thankfully, there was no malevolent baseball-wielding orange-jacketed man immediately in sight, and Geist nodded, heaving another breath. “Yes. He’s gone. But who the hell was he?”

She hesitated, forcing herself to take a deep breath. Geist couldn’t help but sigh himself, before looking her in the eye. “Look…I know that wasn’t a great situation. But I _really_ need you to tell me. What if we run into that man again? Who was he?”

“Er…” Finley swallowed, looking up at him. “As I was trying to say earlier…remember how I told you, a while ago, that there’s this guy we don’t talk about during work because he’s Graves’ ex and all that? That’s him.”

“Shit.” Geist rarely swore, but now was a perfect occasion to do so. _“Please_ don’t tell me he has magical powers.”

“He does. Or, at least, he shouldn’t _have_ them anymore.” Finley sighed, leaning back against the closest wall. She brushed some sweat off her brow with a hand, before looking Geist in the eye. ‘Because, er…I sealed away his powers, last time I encountered him.”

Geist stared at her. This young lady sealed away this man’s powers? “How? How did you..do that?”

“Honestly, it was a stroke of luck. Graves had been attacked by that guy, and Avery barely got away with their life. Me, them, and the rest of our coworkers met back at the café, because we knew Nacht was going to try to take over it due to turning Graves into a statue at his hands. And then…we defeated him, working together to do so, and I sealed away Nacht’s powers in the process. Nacht ran off, and we thought we saw the last of him, but….” She shook her head. “Oof. Guess I was wrong.”

 _A statue?_ “He can turn people to stone?”

“Rust statues, technically, but yeah. If he touches you, you’re gonna be a rust statue in seconds. That’s why I told you to keep running.”

A man that could turn people to rust, just by touching them. That did not sound good whatsoever. But if he was beaten before… “How did you defeat him? All of him, that is?”

“Er…” Finley grimaced, and Geist could only groan as he put the pieces together.

“All of you working in the café…it’s not just you and Avery, is it? _All_ of you are witches.”

“Yeah.” She admitted, nodding. “We are.”

He frowned. “And you couldn’t have just told me after you first revealed your own powers? _Seriously?”_

“To be fair,” She defended, half-glaring back at him, “Graves told all of us in advance to keep our powers a secret from you, because none of us knew that you had powers in the first place. Then again, I think Hayes was picking up on yours…Reese, too.”

“Hayes?” Out of everyone Geist had expected to sense him having magical abilities, it was Hayes? Hayes, the socially anxious barista who hid in the kitchen during most of work hours? Geist would’ve guessed that someone like Mason, or Reese, might’ve found out. But _Hayes?_

“He told me and Avery during our break day that he noticed something about you…he didn’t say what it was, so I thought he was just feeling a little nervous because of how he is with socializing in general, but…now that I think about it, he might’ve sensed the fact that you had magic, even if you didn’t use it during work hours. And as I mentioned earlier, when Reese found out that you knew about me and Avery having magic, he asked me if you had any magic. I told him no and that you were just simply used to being around others with magic before, but he did kinda tell me to keep an eye on you.”

“Hence why you invited me for pizza a second time?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry. I should’ve just told it to you straight.”

“Given the circumstances of you trying to keep everyone else’s magic a secret, I think I understand.” He swallowed. He wouldn’t like it if someone else told everyone that he had magic without permission, either. He pushed a few bangs, damp from sweat from the run, out of his face, before looking her in the eye again.

“So, let me put this together.” He started. “All of you are witches, witches can apparently sense me having magic, and all of you fought the man that just tried to go after us minutes ago. And last time you fought him, you won and drove him off by sealing his powers?”

“Exactly.” She ended. “And now he’s back. And I have no idea what to do this time, so…”

He frowned. “You said you sealed away his powers, right? How did you do that, exactly?”

She nodded. “Yeah. He and Graves used to be in this band called Xpidercoven, with an X.”

The Exorcist frowned. _That just makes no sense_. “How do you spell spider with an _X?”_

“Reese said it was goth willpower. But anyway…” Finley took a deep breath. “During the last time we fought Nacht, Avery and I remembered that one of Xpidercoven’s songs was _Rose Baptism_. And we remembered some of the lyrics, so…I used those against Nacht. Because they’re _relevant in context to him_. And he clearly remembered those songs even now. Trying to #block him wouldn’t have worked, because he doesn’t use social media, so he doesn’t understand that context for my powers to work.”

“And in the process, when using the lyrics that did make sense to him,” Geist finally pieced together, “You sealed away his magic unintentionally.”

She nodded. “That’s right. I didn’t realize it until Graves stopped being a statue and straight-up spelled it out to me and Avery at the time. Nacht had no choice but to retreat. But now…” She shook her head. “If he got his powers back because my magic wore off, what does that mean? Do I have to seal it away again?”

Geist remembered how Nacht called Finley a newbie, earlier. “You were new to magic when you initially sealed away his powers, right?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

“It probably wore off after a while, then.” Geist managed. He knew that too well, given his own training in his exorcism. Perhaps there were some commonalities between how magic in Luxendarc, and this area, worked. Experience with magic was one of them. “My powers like that when I first started training, too. It’s like practicing an instrument or a dance style. You must drill it many times, over a lot of time, to get it right. Have you had _any_ training, since you last fought Nacht?”

“I have.” She confirmed. “Reese and Graves have been helping the rest of us learn, since all of us discovered our powers by now. Avery, too, to an extent. Graves is the most powerful witch in this city, so…”

“So if you seal away Nacht’s magic again,” He finished, “You might be able to seal it away for _good,_ this time.”

Her eyes widened, before her voice dropped to a whisper. “You think so?”

Geist nodded. “I don’t see why not. It could be worth a shot. And in the worst-case scenario, I can cover for you and make sure you escape.”

Her brows furrowed at this as she shook her head. “I don’t know if that’s something we can risk. What if you end up being a rust statue before you can undo it?”

“Then you have to get away and warn Graves and everyone else. It’s the best chance we have. Question is…” Geist looked around briefly, “It would be best to get him if we were away from the café.”

Finley shrugged. “We’re pretty far from him. We’re at the main town square right now…not that he’s going to wander in the crowd, of course. That would be stupid.”

Geist noticed a familiar orange jacket as he looked behind them, just a few feet away. “Or maybe not. Run.”

“What!?”

Geist grabbed Finley by the arm, dragging her out of the crowd, and bolted for the closest alley. Surely there had to be some way to get to the back roads, right? Or another main road where someone could see them? Was there at least a taxi they could flag down and get away from Nacht in.

There had to be a way to get away from Nacht. _Anything._

He had a few ideas on how to truly get rid of Nacht, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to do them. What would Finley think if he did…?

* * *

Finley felt herself get dragged, then pushed ahead of Geist. A yelp left her as she nearly tripped over her feet, before glaring back at Geist. “Geez! At least warn me before you push me!”

“No time!” Geist called back. He pushed down a garbage can, spilling trash on the ground. “Run ahead of me and try to flag down a taxi or something! We have to lose him!”

“Got it!” Finley ran ahead, looking left, then right. She lived in this town for a while, knew her way around, but it was a whole different situation when one was being chased by someone that probably wanted to kill you.

_Why can’t there be any police officers at this time? What about my friends, or Avery….?_

Avery. Finley’s heart stung as she thought of them. Surely Avery would want to know about all of this. She took out her cellphone, dialing Avery’s number as fast as she could as she kept running.

“Hello?” Finley heard Avery speak on the phone, and the social media expert heaved a quick breath.

“It’s Nacht! He’s chasing me and Geist right now!”

“What!? He’s back!?” Avery burst out. “Where are you two? Are you okay?”

“We’re still on the run!”

“I’m coming out to get you. Do you have any idea where you are right now?”

“No, I don’t! But call me in ten minutes if I haven’t called you again by then! Stay where you are, I..” She nearly tripped over her own feet, before finishing, “I don’t want Nacht to get you. I’l try to call back in ten minutes, okay?”

“But…?”

“I love you, Avery Grey. But I do NOT want you getting hurt on my watch!”

“I don’t want you getting hurt, either!” Avery called back, just as Finley turned another corner…

Only to see a dead end. She swallowed, taking a deep breath.

“I promise to call you back. Okay? I love you.” And with that, Finley hung up, before turning her head back to yell to Geist about the situation. She didn’t want to hang up. She really didn’t want to. But right, she had to make sure she and Geist got out of this mess safely, and as quickly as she could.

* * *

“Geist!?” Geist turned the corner to see Finley, staring up ahead. “We hit a dead end!”

“Fuck!” The Exorcist looked ahead of Finley, noticing the boxes at the dead end, and then the low roof. “Climb up the boxes and get on the roof! I’ll hold him back while you run!”

“But—”

“Go!” He called back. As Finley got up on the boxes, Geist decided it might be best to just catch up with Finley and help boost her up to the roof. He hoped he could lift her just high enough so she could grab the ledge if she needed help.

As he ran to try to catch up with her, he heard a loud ‘ping’ hit the ground, and Geist felt himself trip. As he hit the ground, however, he felt his left leg go numb. He quickly turned, as best as he could, to check…

Just in time to see orange rust climbing up his leg. _This must be the rust Finley told me about—I have to stop this! “Undo!”_

Green light surrounded his leg, and the orange rust undid itself, vanishing within seconds. The Exorcist heaved a quick, relieved breath, moving to get up as fast as he could.

“What the…?” Geist looked up to see Nacht, who stared at him. He looked stunned, likely because he hadn’t expected Geist to know a magic that could so easily reverse the rust. Geist observed the other’s expression, taking a deep breath as he took a step back, then another.

“That’s right.” Geist figured he might as well say it, looking the other man in the eyes. “Any mistake, any wound…I can undo it. Rust included.”

“Huh. Not just some newbie like her, huh?” A smirk appeared on Nacht’s face, and he took a brief practice swing. “That oughta be interesting. Let’s see how _that_ goes…”

Nacht lunged at Geist, who ducked and dodged his next two swings. He heard the bat hit the wall behind him as he ducked a third time, and he ran out of the way of Nacht’s fourth swing.

“Geist!?” Finley was heard calling from behind Geist, and he backed up several paces to try to catch up with her. “What do I do!?”

“Seal his magic away while you can!” Geist yelled back at her. “I don’t know how you did it last time!”

“Uh…”

As Finley faltered, Geist felt the bat hit him in the side. He winced, putting his hand there as he stumbled out of the way of another swing from Nacht, and instantly regretted it as rust crept up his side and his arm. _“Undo!”_

The rust faded away instantly, and he backed up several paces as Nacht swung at him once, then twice. Geist wished he brought his rapier to the city with him, now. It would be useful, even if only temporarily. Then again, his rapier was metal, so that probably wouldn’t help much, given the rust magic Nacht had with him.

_“TRAPPED WITHIN MY OWN MIND! SOMETHING SOMETHING IN FRENCH!”_

_What the hell!? Are these the Xpidercoven lyrics she told me about?_ Geist’s gaze snapped towards Finley, and instantly regretted it afterwards as he felt Nacht’s bat connect with his ribs. A hiss left Geist as he hit the ground, trying to get up, but immediately realized that when he hit the ground, the rust that initially hit his ribs also spread across the ground a little bit just under him, securing him to the pavement.

“Geist!” Finley’s panicked cries came from up ahead.

A laugh left Nacht as he walked past Geist, sauntering towards Finley. Geist whispered an “Undo” to get rid of the rust, but even though it worked as fast as possible, there was no way Geist could get himself back to his feet and run towards Nacht and punch him in the face, or sock him in the gut and run. The other man had Finley cornered at the end of the alley. Finley stood on her boxes, frantically trying to reach for the ledge of the lower roof of the building, but she couldn’t reach.

“That was a fun chase, I’ll admit it.” Nacht managed, looking up at Finley. He took a practice swing, before grinning. “But I think we’ll just finish up here, shall we?”

Geist didn’t have a sword with him to run the man through, but he had one spell. A spell that could easily kill Nacht, but only if it worked. He had a one-in-three chance of it working, and he hoped, this time, it actually did work.

It was either that, or Finley might become a rust statue. That was the last thing Geist wanted.

Taking a deep breath, he extended his arm towards Nacht, before yelling.

**_“Eradication!”_ **

Nacht suddenly keeled over, a sharp, hoarse gasp escaping him. Blood gushed through various spots on his body – his chest, his arms, his neck. His body twisted as he fell, hitting the ground with a sickening _crunch._

The deed was done. Nacht bled out, dead in only seconds.

Geist paid little attention to the man, looking up at Finley, just in time to see her freeze on the spot. The gasp that left her lips made his heart sink as he realized what he’d done – expose the _worst_ of his powers, right in front of her.

* * *

Finley wasn’t sure what to think. What to do. What to say.

Only seconds ago, Nacht was alive and out to kill her and Geist. Now, he was bleeding out on the pavement.

“Ohmygod.” She instinctively took a step towards Nacht, but then stopped, realizing that the other man hadn’t moved an inch. No motion to get up. No rise and fall of his chest, if unconscious. Nacht was dead– _truly_ dead.

“Finley?” Her gaze shot up at her fellow co-worker, ally, friend – just in time to see him flinch before asking, “Are you…okay?”

Finley looked between him, then Nacht, then him again, shaking her head.

“I don’t know.”

And she honestly didn’t know how to process any of this.


	8. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finley and Geist have to deal with the aftermath of what to do with Nacht's corpse, as well as a few other unexpected things...

Geist took a deep breath. He knew that he’d fucked up here – killing Nacht was a last resort, and it was to protect Finley, but now he had to deal with two things.

  1. What would the two of them do with Nacht’s corpse?
  2. More importantly, what did _Finley_ think of any of this? How was she going to react?



Would she be angry that he killed Nacht, even if it was to defend her? He’d refrained from having to give anyone death threats since the first day they met, but there was a difference between death threats and outright murdering someone to protect a friend. The Exorcist sucked in a deep breath, and then exhaled, before turning to face Finley, trying to gauge her reaction.

“Finley?” He took a deep breath, trying to look her in the eyes. Her own eyes were wide, shock taking over, before her legs shook.

“Ohmygod.” Finley muttered, looking up from Nacht’s corpse, and then up at him. “What did you…?”

“Are you okay?” He repeated.

“You literally just killed him!” Finley pointed at Nacht’s corpse, then her gaze snapped towards Geist. “How are you so _calm?”_ He’d never heard her be so shocked, before. Almost terrified, even.

Geist tried to wipe the blood off his face, but grimaced as he realized he just spread it even further, as there was blood on his glove. “To be honest, Finley,” He confessed, looking up at her, “Remember how I threatened that one guy with death, when we first met? He,” Geist pointed at the still-dead Nacht, “is not the first man I’ve actually killed.”

“Why am I _not_ surprised!?” Finley groaned, pacing back and forth, before she stopped in her tracks, gaze snapping towards him incredulously. “Ohmygod. I _know_ you were defending me, but what are we gonna do!? We can’t just leave his body here!”

Finley had a point. There was a music festival going on, and sure, they were in the middle of a side alley’s dead end where people likely wouldn’t wander in. However, there was always the chance someone _would_ find it. It wouldn’t end well if someone found a dead body in the middle of an event like this.

“We don’t have to.” Geist’s gaze snapped towards her as he shook his head lightly. “I can bring him back. And for the love of both of us, _please_ calm down.” The more of a ruckus Finley made, the more likely someone would investigate. And if someone did, Geist knew both him and Finley would be in a lot more trouble than they were in right now.

“What?” Her jaw dropped, eyes widening. She took a step towards him, then another. “S-seriously? You can resurrect him?”

 _So much for calming down._ At least her voice’s volume level dropped a bit, much to his relief. “Yes.” He nodded quickly, deciding it was best to figure out how to take care of getting rid of Nacht and _then_ calm down Finley later. “Anyone I can kill, I can also… _’undo’_ it, just like anything else, if it hasn’t happened for too long. I can make it as if it never happened. Should I do it? Bring him back, that is?”

He saw her lips come together in a thin light, brows furrowing in thought. “But wouldn’t he just attack us again, the moment he comes back to life?” Finley shuddered, shaking her head. “But…we can’t just leave him like this, either. I don’t know…”

Geist paused, thinking. Finley had a point. Given the aggressive man Nacht was, he wouldn’t be surprised if the man did just up and try to kill him and Finley on the spot. He pondered how he could find a way to restrain Nacht or at least ensure Finley’s safety prior to bringing Nacht back, to avoid legal and physical trouble.

_Wait…Nacht is a witch like Finley and the others, right? I wonder…_

“Finley?”

She blinked, looking up at him. “Yeah?”

“Is there anything that changes between witches once they die?”

“Changes?” She frowned. “Other than them being dead?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Are there any broken curses, or magic wearing off, or…”

“Oh!” She nodded, jumping slightly. She seemed to remember something, nodding. “Yeah. I remember. Reese told me, once, that witches lose something…their _property,_ wasn’t it? If witches are defeated in a duel, including death, they _lose_ the property they have up to the victor. Maybe…” She poked her own forehead for a few moments, before she gasped, snapping her fingers. “Ohmy _god._ Do you think that, when you killed Nacht, you…”

He nodded, making eye contact with her. “I think I won the duel. I have his property, now. What’s his is now mine…whatever that means.”

“You might have his magic, Geist!” She blurted out. “You might’ve taken it once he died. If you bring him back, it’s not like he can use magic on us!”

“Really?” He raised a brow. That was a new concept. It was different if one just handed their asterisk over to another. Sure, the user would gain the abilities that came with said asterisk, but that took training. Was that the same with whatever Nacht’s powers were, if Geist had them now? “I’ve never heard of that before. That’s…possible?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “It is.”

“And I own everything he has…” Geist looked down at Nacht, before moving towards the dead body. “Since that’s the case, how about we check his pockets before I bring him back to life? Just to see what I’ve won from him, apparently.”

Finley balked. “You gotta be kidding me. We’d be looting a dead corpse!”

“What?” His gaze snapped towards her, frowning. “Why not? I got his property! He _lost,_ for crying out loud! Well, technically…” He looked at Nacht’s corpse again, then towards Finley. “Technically, we _both_ won, since we were working together. How about we split fifty-fifty on whatever I find?”

“I, uh…” Finley blanched, swallowing, before quickly shaking her head. “You know what? You can keep it. You did give him the finishing blow, after all.”

“Very well.” Geist did manage to ‘undo’ some of the blood staining through Nacht’s clothes, saving him several bunched-up paper bills and a wallet. He only took the cash in it, though, before putting it back in Nacht’s pocket. He checked the other pockets for anything, but there wasn’t much else. Sure, he might be looting a corpse, and _sure,_ maybe this wasn’t legal, but hey, he won Nacht’s property. Might as well take advantage while the man was dead.

There was nothing he found on Nacht indicating on how to use the new powers, which Geist supposed made sense, and other than the baseball, Nacht didn’t have any other weapons on him. It was only afterwards, when he got up after looting Nacht, that he realized something. “Didn’t you say he was connected to Graves, earlier?”

“Yeah.” Finley scratched the back of her head. “As far as I understand, they were exes. Used to be in the same band together, too. I also vaguely remember Graves telling me about how Nacht stole _something_ of his and so on, but I don’t remember _all_ of it.”

How would Graves react if he found out Geist straight-up killed his ex-boyfriend? That would not end well, even if the two sounded like they had a tumultuous relationship. “Just between you and me…don’t tell Graves that I killed Nacht, for now. Just in case.” Geist quipped, just as he pocketed the bills in the inner section of his coat.

Finley nodded in agreement. “Okay, _that_ I can go with. Any other ideas?”

Geist looked towards Finley, shrugging. “We can’t risk Nacht attacking us if he wakes up, as you mentioned earlier. Do you think he still might retain his magic, if I bring him back to life? Because it’ll be as if he never lost the duel we had if I ‘undo’ his death?”

She swallowed. “I didn’t think of _that,_ but you have a good point. We should be careful.”

“And you mentioned that you sealed his magic away before.” Geist pointed out. “How about this? The moment I bring him back, you can seal away his magic again. That way, he can’t harm us as easily.”

“That’s a good plan.” She nodded quickly, before holding up both of her hands. “Okay, ready when you are!”

Geist nodded, before taking a couple paces away from Nacht. He stretched out a hand towards the corpse, before summoning his power.

_“Undo.”_

Green light appeared from Geist’s hands and sparked as it raced towards Nacht, surrounding him. The stab wounds closed up. The blood faded away, or, if one looked closely enough, traveled back into Nacht’s body as if he never bled. The wounds closed, leaving scars, and then faded.

Now Nacht just looked like he just passed out drunk on the ground. Geist waited for the man to stir, noticing his chest rise and fall with newfound breath, before he got up, stumbling to his feet.

 _“You.”_ Nacht’s face turned to a snarl, and he picked up his bat, before running at Geist with a yell.

“Finley, now!” Geist shouted, but Nacht was faster, hitting him in the abdomen with his baseball bat. Geist staggered back, one of his hands clutching his own stomach where he felt it hit, and he looked down to check in case there was rust.

But there was none.

No rust, at _all._

“What the..?” He heard Nacht mutter, and Geist looked up at his assailant to see confusion across Nacht’s face. The man swiped at Geist with his bat, again, and Geist barely sidestepped it. Nacht ended up hitting the alley wall, this time, but no rust formed there, either.

“What?” Finley was heard gasping, just as Nacht hissed, looking up at Geist with a fury Geist hadn’t seen before. It wasn’t just one of vengeance, but unadulterated rage.

“Gotta be _kiddin’_ me!” Nacht glared up at Geist. “Son of a bitch. Do you have any idea what you just _did!?”_

“I killed you and brought you back.” Geist quipped, raising a brow as he glared at him, in return. “I also looted your dead corpse, by the way. Check your pockets.”

Nacht did check his pocket, taking out his wallet briefly, and Geist couldn’t help but smirk as the man opened it and realized that he was now devoid of all cash. A hiss left him, and he looked up at Geist, moving towards him, but Geist pointed his sword at Nacht’s chest.

“Don’t move any closer.” The Exorcist hissed. “Or else I’d be happy to kill you again.”

“Tch!” Nacht stared down at Geist’s sword, but he did take one step back. “I’ll get what you Took from me back. Somehow, I will.”

Geist raised a brow. _“Took_ from you…?”

“Geist,” Finley managed, “Remember our earlier conversation? I think you _actually_ took Nacht’s magic when you won.”

Nacht froze, brows furrowing as his gaze snapped towards her. “So, you know about _that.”_ A hollow snort left him, and he shook his head. “And here I thought you were just a little newbie. Looks like a little kitten like you does know what you’re doing, after all…”

“I’ve been an Exorcist for years before I knew this witch-stuff, by the way.” Geist hissed back. “I can learn quickly.”

A smirk stretched over Nacht’s face, and Geist would’ve stabbed the man and left him for dead if it wasn’t for what the man said next. “What will Graves think? You know that power wasn’t originally mine, right?”

Geist froze, frowning. It wasn’t _his_ own power, before? “Then what _was_ your power?” _Rust wasn’t his original power?_

“Doesn’t matter. You _took_ it, after all. You’ll find out.” Nacht turned on his feet, but he looked back towards Geist. “I’ll be back, one day. You might’ve taken my power, but I’ll find a way.”

“As if you’d survive going up against us.” Geist snapped, but Nacht already was walking off. The Exorcist took a step forward, considering going after Nacht, but then he paused. Killing Nacht again wouldn’t do him and Finley any favours. And it didn’t help that Nacht was Graves’ ex, either. Besides, Nacht was powerless. He couldn’t do a thing. Instead, the Exorcist turned to face Finley, taking a deep breath. “Are you okay?”

Finley nodded, looking in the direction Nacht stormed off at, and then towards Geist again. “I’m okay.” She managed. She eyed him up and down, and then asked, “What about you? Do you feel anything new in particular? Any magic about to spark, or something? New gut feelings?”

Geist blinked. “My gut is fine.”

“No, not literally! It’s just…Avery told me, when we were first figuring out the magic stuff, that they had a gut feeling as of how the magic worked when it did. And the same happened with me when I figured it out. What about you?”

“I’m fine, but…That power belonged to Graves? The rust?” Finley swallowed.

Geist shrugged. “I don’t know what else it could be. But…it does seem different from how my Exorcist Asterisk works, in terms of transferring one’s power to another that is…”

That was when Finley’s cellphone rang. Finley groaned, looking up at Geist sheepishly. “I called Avery earlier to check in on me if I didn’t respond to them in ten minutes. Gimme a sec.” She took out her phone, answering. “Hello?”

 _“Finley!”_ Avery’s voice was loud enough for even Geist to hear, and he saw Finley wince at how loud Avery’s shout was. _“Are you okay!? Are you safe? Where are you!?”_

“Avery, calm down! I’m okay. Geist and I…we got away.” Finley breathed, looking towards Geist briefly before swallowing. “We got away, Avery. We’re fine.”

 _“Thank GOD.”_ Avery groaned. _“I was worried about you! Where are you two? Are you close to home?”_

“Uh…” Finley looked around, before continuing, “I think we can just walk back. We’re on the back roads, so…yeah.”

 _“Okay. Just get back here as soon as you can. I ordered pizza, too. Figured you both might need it. But please,”_ Avery’s tone stressed itself on the _‘please,_ ’ “Please don’t scare me like that again. I was worried I’d lose you.”

“I know. I was scared, too. You gotta thank Geist when we get back, though.” A soft chuckle left Finley att hat. “He basically saved my life.”

_“Tell him I said thanks. And he can crash on our couch if he needs to. It’s pretty late by now.”_

“Fair. Thanks, sweetie.” Finley blew a kiss into the phone. “See you soon!”

_“See you soon, Finley! Careful out there!”_

Finley hung up, before a relieved breath left her. “Phew. I’m glad we got that cleared up…”

“I will gladly take the offer to crash on your couch.” Geist managed sheepishly. “If you don’t mind, that is.”

She looked him up and down, frowning. “As long as you don’t get blood all over the apartment, I think we’re good. Can you _undo_ the blood off your clothes so people don’t stare at us on the way there?”

Geist looked down at himself, and then looked up at her, shaking his head. “'Fraid I can’t do that.”

She groaned. “Why?”

He shrugged. “I ran out of MP. It happens sometimes…but I think I used it up to the point that I can’t get the blood out of my clothes, even if I seriously wanted to. I can _feel_ it.” He grimaced, trying to wipe the blood off his hands, but just made more of a mess as a result. _So much for trying to stay clean and out of violent situations while I’m out of Luxendarc..._

“MP?” Finley stared at him “Like…you have a select amount of energy to use magic, like in some of the video games I’ve played?”

“Er…sure, let’s go with that explanation.” Geist managed quickly. “I wasn’t expecting to use any magic so much in one sitting, so I’m out of MP because of this.”

“Is there anything we can do to restore your MP quickly?” Finley asked, tilting her head. “If anyone sees you like this,” She gestured to his bloody appearance, “they’re gonna have questions.”

He shook his head. “My MP should be mostly restored if I rest by morning, but…thing is, I can’t do any magic right now otherwise. Unless you have ethers? Elixirs? Those can help me restore MP faster. Or a hot spring. Is there a hot spring in this town?”

“I’ve got none of those, and I don’t think we have a hot spring in this town, either. Despite being a newbie witch, I haven’t done potion stuff yet.” She took a deep breath, before looking around. “And if you walk into the hotel looking the way you do, people are gonna have questions…so…” There might be no choice but to take Geist home with her. Avery would have questions, but at least they knew Geist well. “It probably is best if you crash at our place for the night and get cleaned up…though I don’t think I have any clothes you can use to replace this.”

“Let’s just start with getting to your place unnoticed. We’ll worry about clothes when we get there.” Geist shuddered. “You said we’re on the back roads? Lead the way.”

“GLADLY.”

And with that, the two went off into the night, going through the city’s back roads to head all the way to Finley and Avery’s apartment.

* * *

Finley wasn’t sure how she would explain this to Avery. She was more than certain they would be worried over her, for sure. Maybe it was best to try to take it slow and ease Avery into the explanations?

“Finley?” Avery turned to face Finley as she and Geist entered the apartment, but then a gasp left them as they noticed Geist’s bloody appearance. “Ohmygod! _Geist!?_ You’re bleeding everywhere!”

So much for trying to ease Avery into explanations.

“I’m not dying _or_ bleeding.” Geist quickly spoke up, holding up both hands in surrender as Avery put down the bottles of iced tea on the counter and rushed over to the two. Finley quickly shut the apartment door behind her as Geist looked Avery in the eye. “I killed Nacht. This is _his_ blood on _my_ clothes.”

Avery paused, staring at him, and then looked towards Finley, voice going low. “Is…is this true?”

Finley could only nod. “Yeah.” She managed, swallowing. “It’s true. I saw it.”

“You killed Nacht? How…? Nacht was…there?” Avery’s eyes widened, stunned, but Geist took a deep breath, a slow sigh leaving him.

“I’ll explain things in a few moments, but first…can I borrow your shower? Second, do you have any spare clothes?”

“I don’t think I have anything that can fit a grown man your age, but I can try to find something.” Avery swallowed, and Finley grimaced a bit.

“You said you had this thing called an Exorcist Asterisk.” Finley managed, looking towards him. “Does it provide you free clothes?”

Geist grimaced, shaking his head. “It does, but…the clothes will look just as bloody as my current outfit. Worse, even. It’s probably best if I wear something cleaner.” He did not want to show off his Exorcist transformation, especially not _now._

“Okaaaay we’re _not_ gonna use that transformation, then.” Avery pointed to the doorway. “Bathroom’s in there. Use the shower. I’ll leave some towels on the counter for you, and I’ll see if I can find a spare bathrobe or something for you to wear for now.”

“Thank you.” Geist ducked into the bathroom, and Avery could only look towards Finley, incredulous.

“What. Happened. _Out there.”_

“I wasn’t harmed, Avery.” Finley looked them in the eye, gazing snapping towards them. She already noticed Avery’s tensing shoulders, and she put both hands on their shoulders, trying to lightly massage them to calm them down, sitting on the couch and making Avery sit down with her. “I’m okay, I promise. I mean, I twisted an ankle, but that was because I was running from Nacht at the time. Geist saved me.”

“Geist…saved you?” Avery repeated.

Finley nodded. “He did. Nacht was going to try to turn me to rust, but Geist took the attack…and then used magic to ‘undo’ it.”

Her significant other looked very confused. “Undo it? Geist has _magic?”_

“Yeahh.” Finley nodded sheepishly. “I had no idea until he actually had it a couple days ago, but he never used it in a combat situation until now. He managed to overpower Nacht and kill him…but then we figured we had no choice but to bring Nacht back to life, ‘cause it’s not like we could tell the police we randomly killed a man without the use of our powers. So, Geist used his magic to undo Nacht being dead.”

“Ohmygod.” Avery fidgeted on the spot, shaking their head. “Ohmygod. I can’t believe…”

Finley sighed. “It’s new to me, too. I’ve never seen magic like that before. And I think Geist _took_ Nacht’s magic, too, when he defeated him. When we brought Nacht back…he couldn’t rust anyone anymore.”

Avery frowned. “He couldn’t?”

“No.”

“Not even a little?”

“Definitely not.” Finley shook her head, remembering how Nacht punched Geist, but then no rust had appeared on him. “Whatever powers Nacht had…I’m pretty sure Geist has them now.”

“Oh god.” Avery’s eyes widened. “Do you think he’s gonna rust the shower by accident?”

Finley grimaced. She hadn’t thought of _that._ “I hope not. I’m really sorry!”

“It’s okay, you didn’t know…” A sigh left Avery, before they stood up. “I’m gonna look for some spare clothes for Geist and order takeout. After Geist is done getting clean and we all eat something, we gotta figure all of this out. You just…I don’t know, do you want me to do anything for you?”

“Kiss me?” She asked. “Please?” She knew she needed a little kiss, something to reassure her that things would be okay.

Avery leaned down to kiss her on the forehead, before pulling back to smile at her. “Got you.”

Finley couldn’t help but smile a bit, before tilting her head up to kiss them back. “Thanks.”

* * *

Geist was _relieved_ to take a warm shower. Thankfully, the bathroom was the cleanest part of the entire apartment (not that Avery and Finley’s apartment was dirty, per se, but they did have piles of pizza boxes in one corner of the main living room area and they _did_ have a cat to take care of), so he didn’t have to worry about tripping over anything on the floor. Unfortunately, this also meant he dripped blood on the floor, and he cursed the fact that he couldn’t use _‘undo’_ right now to get rid of them. He figured he’d just let Avery know later.

He felt bad enough for intruding on Avery and Finley’s apartment, but given the current circumstances, they didn’t have much of a choice. Geist’s hotel was too far from the café to just walk all the way back or call a cab or bus without getting stared at by too many people, after all.

The shower was warm, and good. Geist was worried that he’d ‘rust’ the shower by accident, given that he had Nacht’s powers now, but he didn’t do so, much to his relief. By the time he stepped out of the shower, he noticed a baggy graphic t-shirt and sweatpants on the bathroom counter. He figured they must be spare clothes, and he silently thanked Avery and Finley for providing them. He put those on after drying himself off with a towel, before trying to find a hair dryer. He did his best to dry his hair before leaving the bathroom, rejoining Avery in the living room. Finley was in the kitchenette area, feeding Mochi the cat.

“I’m sorry about intruding on you and Finley.” Geist sighed, pushing a few strands of wet hair out of his face.

“It’s fine.” Avery reassured him sheepishly, gesturing for him to grab a slice of pizza from the box on the coffee table. “By the way, I think your pants are salvageable from the bloodstains, but I’m not so sure about your shirt.”

“Hm?” He raised a brow, only for Avery to chuckle.

“I threw your clothes in the washer after I used some stain remover. That’s how I know.”

“I see.” Geist took a deep breath, leaning back against the couch. “I do have spare sets of clothes in my hotel room. I’ll just run by there tomorrow morning to change, first, before I head to work. But thank you. And…” He looked down at his spare clothes, and then up at Avery, “I can wash this and return these to you sometime.”

“You can keep them. They don’t fit me or Finley, anyway.” Avery paused, their gaze drifting down to their bottle of iced tea, and then up at Geist, eyes wide. “So, this _Undo_ magic…how long have you been using it?”

“For a while.” Geist admitted. “Years. I’ve killed and resurrected people with it, many times.”

“Ouch.” They swallowed. “That doesn’t sound fun.”

“Depends on the situation.” The Exorcist took a deep breath, taking a few bites of pizza. He chewed, trying to think of a good way to word what he did, before swallowing. “I was in charge of interrogations, for the Grantz Empire back in Luxendarc, where I come from. I did a _lot_ of torture.”

“An Exorcist that tortures people?” Avery’s nose wrinkled. “That sounds completely the opposite of what I hear of exorcists. Don’t they get rid of demons?”

“I did cast out demons, actually.” Geist pointed out. “I used to, at least. But things changed with the Great Plague. It was many years ago, and…” He shook his head, recalling the past. It was painful, knowing too well what happened back then. “I don’t know if I want to talk about it. It’s another can of worms we shouldn’t deal with right now.”

“Uh…I’ll take your word for it.”

He took another bite of pizza, swallowed, then sighed. “I’m sorry I hid my powers. I should’ve come clean, sooner. Maybe it’d be less shocking.”

“To be fair,” Finley managed, approaching the two with a few cans of soda in hand, “All of us hid our powers from you, too. I think it makes us even.”

He looked up at her, offering her a grin. “Thanks.”

Finley sat down on the couch beside Avery, and Geist fell into silence,. Avery and Finley did, too, focused on eating their pizza and drinking their soda.

“So,” Finley finally managed, after a moment, “What now? I mean,” She looked towards Geist, “I know you killed Nacht and I also know that you don’t want to tell Graves about it, but…I mean, given that you know that all of us are witches, maybe you might be comfortable telling the others about your powers?”

“I don’t know.” Geist looked down at his own hands, and then up at Finley as he moved to grab a can of soda, opening it easily. “I suppose it’s only fair, but will they be…scared?”

“Scared?” Avery frowned. “I mean, you defeated Nacht. Probably for good, too. I’m pretty sure the others would be grateful for that.”

“Not of him.” Geist clarified. “Of _me.”_ He swallowed, shaking his head, before he took a quick sip of soda. He almost choked, but he swallowed it down. “I came to this city for a reason. I wanted to get away from people that knew of me and my powers for a while, because I’m sick of people fearing me. Granted,” A brief laugh left him, “Their fears are justified. What I did back then…wasn’t good. Unhealthy, even.”

The days when he often tortured people, killing them and bringing them back, still came to the back of his mind. He grimaced, closing his eyes briefly. “I’m not that much better than Nacht. I’ve done harmful things. If you met me back then…I probably would’ve hurt you, just like he tried to do to you earlier tonight.”

“But you seem like you regret doing that.” It was Finley that spoke up, and he opened his eyes to face her properly. Finley put her can of soda down, before continuing to speak. “Look, Geist…none of us may know you very well, but I know this: It sucks having unwanted attention, and being seen in a one-sided way. Remember that guy you chased off, the first day we met?”

“Yeah.” Geist nodded. “Reese told me that I apparently chased the guy off for good.”

“Well, yeah. But he was a serious stalker out of all the trolls.” Finley sighed, grimacing, and Avery instinctively took one of Finley’s hands in hers. “He wasn’t the first person that’s harassed me online, but seeing him come over to the café in real life and say such horrible things sucked. It made me want to hide away a huge part of me. If it wasn’t for Avery helping me work past that, I don’t know what I’d be doing now. But,” Finley dared to look him in the eye, “If there’s anything I’ve learned, there are always people that are going to be mean to you, or give you weird looks, because of the fact that you’re you. Whether you transform into a cat, or use hashtag magic, or you’re an exorcist, people are always gonna look at you funny. So you might as well embrace it. And, of course, not hurt people while you’re at it, given that’s the road you’re trying to be on, but still.”

Geist went silent, taking it all in. A large reason why he had come to the city, far from Luxendarc, was to get away from people that eyed him oddly, called him out for what he did in the past. And to be fair, he knew he deserved some of the judgement. But it wouldn’t go away by the time he returned, that was for sure. And he knew that it might be something brought up in front of his son, too, given the circumstances, even if he was at an academy with people he knew and trusted.

Maybe it was just better to embrace it all; the painful past, his abilities, and everything that made him.

“Finley?”

“Yeah?”

He offered her a soft smile. “Thank you.”

He saw her smile back. “No problem.”

The rest of the night would be peaceful, after that.


	9. A Couple Explanations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geist finally gets some answers, and same with Graves, Finley and Avery.

When morning came, Geist stopped by his own hotel room to get changed into newer clothes, after taking the clothes that Avery threw in the laundry for him from last night. He felt a lot cleaner, wearing a crisp white shirt, a black jacket and pants, and he managed to ‘undo’ the bloodstains from his shoes from last night. After that, he met up with Avery and Finley, before the three headed for A Cat’s Paw café together.

“So, how do we break this to Graves?” Finley mused as they walked. “Do we just go ‘hey, boss, we murdered your ex last night’ or ‘Graves, we’ve killed a man, but we swear it was in self-defense?’”

Geist frowned, shaking his head. “I don’t think either of those options sound appropriate.”

“What if we just told him straight-up what happened?” Avery asked, shrugging. “You both got chased by Nacht, Geist killed him in self-defense and then brought him back to life, you both realized that Geist now has all of Nacht’s powers because he technically won the whole ‘duel’ you had against Nacht, and now we have to figure out how we’re going to deal with these new powers.”

Geist and Finley exchanged awkward looks.

“Honestly,” Finley finally managed after a moment, “That might be the best situation. Let’s just tell it to him straight.”

Geist noticed Graves already standing inside the café through the glass doors, speaking with Landry. “We have our opportunity right now. Might as well get it over with.”

As the three entered the café, it was Landry who first noticed them, smiling. “Morning!”

“Ah, Geist. Finley, Avery.” Graves seemed mostly calm as he turned to face them, but it was hard to tell if that was certain. “Good morning.”

“We need to talk to you.”Geist managed. “Now.”

“It’s about Nacht.” Finley blurted out.

Landry’s jaw tightened, eyes widening. “Nacht…?” He repeated slowly. Geist had a feeling that Landry probably didn’t have a good experience fighting Nacht before, and he grimaced. “He’s…here?”

“Not anymore.” Avery told him sheepishly. “I’ll explain it to you later, promise.”

Graves blinked, surveying Geist, Avery, and Finley, before he took a deep breath. “Please, follow me upstairs. We can talk there.” He looked towards Landry nearby. “Landry, you and Reese cover for us for opening.”

“Got it!” Landry called, finishing wiping up a few tables. Reese was finishing up a cup of coffee (probably from Hayes) when he looked up from his cup, nodding. Geist didn’t see Mason or Hayes, but he guessed the two were already in the kitchen, preparing coffee and food.

The four went up the stairs, to the second floor, and then further upstairs to the third floor, which was Graves’ apartment. Geist was thankful that today was one of the expected slower days at A Cat’s Paw since the music festival in the city was wrapping up, because that meant that he, Finley and Graves wouldn’t have to urgently get back to work…hopefully.

Entering Graves’ apartment reminded Geist that the man probably had a mysterious air for a reason. The place was immaculately neat, but the décor was somewhat bizarre. The place was a cross between an office, living room, and a cat palace. That was the best way Geist could describe it. Graves gestured for Finley, Avery and Geist to sit on the nearby couch, while Graves himself sat across from them.

“You said that you saw _him?”_ Geist heard Graves speak, and he looked up at him to see that Graves seemed…tense. Like the other day, when he restrained Geist from touching the rusted vending machine. “What happened?”

Geist took a deep breath, and started to explain.

* * *

The room fell into silence after Geist, Finley and Avery filled Graves in on everything that happened last night. Finley couldn’t help but wonder how Graves would take it. He seemed calm, mostly, though he had expressed some concern on his face when talking about the fight with Nacht.

“Well…that certainly explains a lot about you, Geist.” Graves nodded slowly, taking in all the information. “I do apologize, on behalf of my employees, about keeping our magic a secret.”

“No need.” Geist shook his head. “You had good reason to. Especially with someone like Nacht running around.”

“I admit I could have explained it to you, but I had restraints, talking about my ma-” Graves paused mid-sentence, only to realize that he wasn’t coughing, eyes widening.

Wait, _what?_ That never happened before until now. Whenever Graves tried to say the word ‘magic’ or anything about that subject, he’d get a coughing fit. But now he wasn’t coughing. Which meant…

“Ohmygod.” Finley’s jaw dropped. “Don’t tell me that…when we won against Nacht, does that mean the curse he put on you broke, too!? You can talk about magic again!”

“Wait, what?” Geist stared at Finley. “A curse?”

“Yeah.” Avery grimaced. “Graves, uh…he couldn’t directly speak about magic and stuff. So when he tried to explain things to me and Finley after we first fought Nacht, it was pretty…indirect. He had to use a lot of synonyms and wordings that were loopholes.”

“I see.” The Exorcist nodded. “That explains why you couldn’t directly warn me about what was going on with that vending machine…”

Graves closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he slowly nodded. Finley could see it was a lot to process for him, given how he swallowed slowly, but he soon spoke again.

“I see that I can speak of such things, now. The only way I could is if you defeated him…which you did. Once he’s defeated, any curse he’s done is broken, as a result of him losing his magic.” Graves’ gaze looked towards Geist. “You didn’t know that, I presume?”

Geist shook his head. “I thought Nacht would still retain his magic after I brought him back to life, so the plan was that Finley would seal it away again like she did last time, after I did so. But when Nacht got a hit on me, I didn’t start rusting. That was when I realized that I _Took_ his magic.”

“I see.” Graves nodded, brows furrowed.

“The rust magic…Nacht mentioned that it wasn’t originally his, so I assume that it belongs to you.” Geist managed, looking up at Graves. “And it wouldn’t be fair for me to keep it from you. So…I want to give it back. If I’m capable of doing it, that is.”

“It wasn’t always rust magic.” Graves mused, his icy blue eye staring into Geist’s own. “It was metal. But when Nacht stole it from me, it grew corrupted…and I fear it corrupted him, too.”

Finley swallowed. “Er…corrupted? Does that mean it’s gonna corrupt Geist, too?”

“The magic differs depending on the user. It could be corruptive to Geist, but it could also not be.” Graves paused, examining Geist. “I don’t sense anything off about you right now, so if there is any corruption that having the magic has on you, it’s not happening immediately. That’s a good thing. As for the magic you had before even taking Nacht’s magic…how long have you had that?”

“Years. Decades.” Geist swallowed. “I trained as an Exorcist since I was young, and got the official Asterisk when I became an adult.”

“Asterisks?” Finley stared. “That’s a thing you get powers from?”

“Yes.” He nodded. “Back where I come from, in Luxendarc, Asterisks are small gems with a star inside that confer the job contained within them to their bearer.” Geist moved to stuff his hand into his shirt collar, only to pull it out to reveal a small gem with a star-shaped symbol on it. “They were originally created by a man called Sage Yulyana, for the Crystal Orthodoxy’s granting of vocations. There were also others that the Grantz Empire, which I used to be part of, found after excavating Ba’al Diamante from the crater….”

“A Ba’al?” Avery’s nose scrunched up a bit. “It’s a spherical creature?”

“It’s not. It’s…” Geist sighed, shaking his head. “that’s a completely different can of worms. An abomination that shouldn’t exist in this world. My Asterisk, however, came from the Orthodoxy, since I was working for them as an Exorcist as is.”

“Can you still use Exorcism without it?” Finley asked.

He nodded. “Certainly so. But if someone else got their hands on the Exorcist Asterisk, they would be able to use my abilities…to an extent. They’d have to train hard to unlock its full potential, but still.”

Graves frowned. “It’s best that you keep such a thing safe. If Nacht knew about it…”

“I understand.” Geist put it away, hiding it under his shirt before continuing. “I have known Exorcism for many years. I don’t feel like having Nacht’s magic is affecting me, but…” He paused, frowning slightly, before asking, “If Nacht’s magic wasn’t metal, given that he stole it from you, what was his original magic?”

“Paper.” Graves answered. “And it’s yours, now.”

“Paper?” Finley repeated. Out of everything it could be, it’s paper? “I’m kind-of surprised.”

“Paper shouldn’t be underestimated.” Graves sighed. “He knew how to use that power well, when he had it.”

“I see…” Geist looked down at his hands, but looked up as Graves spoke again.

“Given what you told me,” Graves managed, “It seems that when you killed Nacht, Geist, you automatically inherited _all_ that he owned, _magic included_. Even when you brought him back to life, that win still counted regardless of his living or dead state. The only way he can get it back from you is if he finds a way to steal it, or if he wins a duel against you.”

“So,” Finley pieced together, “He’s virtually _toast_ if he tries to attack us right now.”

“That is true.” Graves agreed. A light frown appeared on his face, but it turned to a thin, neutral line. “Considering the beatdown you gave him, on top of killing him, I don’t think he’ll be coming back too soon. But,” He looked Geist in the eye, and then Finley and Avery, “If he ever comes back, or tries to terrorize any of you or the others, let me know _immediately.”_

“I understand.” Geist managed. He frowned, and Finley knew, too well from what he told her about his own magic and now with what he knew about Nacht, that he was absolutely serious. Finley, too, also nodded in agreement with Geist, and she noticed Avery follow suit.

“Since you can turn us all into cats,” Finley quipped, “Why not just turn Nacht into one?” After all, as cats, no one could use their magic. At least, that was Finley’s experience when she was a cat.

A soft chuckle escaped Graves at that. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple.”

“Maybe it is.” Avery murmured, and the other three exchanged quiet glances with each other. It was true that Nacht was currently powerless, but could it work?

* * *

Geist blinked, staring down at his own hands again. _Paper?_ How was he supposed to use paper magic? Give everyone paper cuts to annoy them to death? Make origami out of thin air? How was that supposed to be _useful?_

_Then again, Nacht must have used it somehow to take Graves’ magic from him. Or found some other magical loophole. Who knows?_

“I know it seems odd to have paper magic, of all things,” Graves admitted, “But that was the skill he had, back then. When he imitated and _Took_ my magic, it corrupted into the rust.”

“I see.” Geist looked down at his hands, then up at Graves. “Is there any way I can give that specific magic back to you? It was yours, after all. It’s not fair that I should end up keeping it.”

“There is.” Graves confirmed. “All you have to do is take my hand, and _Give_ it to me.”

“That’s it?” Geist stared back at him. “It seems simple…”

“But it’s powerful.” Avery managed sheepishly. As Geist looked towards them, they explained. “When we last fought Nacht, when I first, er, encountered him, Graves _‘Gave’_ the café to me before holding off Nacht. That way, Nacht wouldn’t get the café immediately when Graves lost.”

Graves grimaced visibly at the memory. “Of course, Avery _‘Gave’_ the café back to me after the situation was cleared up at the time, but as you can see, it has its uses.”

“Well, I don’t want to cling to a magic that’s…well, shouldn’t be mine.” Geist frowned. “I will Give the metal magic to you, Graves, but…do you want to take the paper magic, too?”

Graves shook his head. “I’d rather not. I don’t want any more traces of _him_ if I don’t need them.”

“Fair.” Geist supposed he wouldn’t want to have the magic of his own ex-boyfriend for his own disposal, either. “Well, then. Let’s make sure I just give your metal magic back to you, then…”

At the very least, Geist wanted to make something right. And if he could do that right now, he was willing to do so. He thought he saw Graves smile, just lightly, before taking his hand in his to start the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note: I actually have no canon idea as of where Geist got his Asterisk from. Given that Geist used to work for the Crystal Orthodoxy as an Exorcist, I figured it's likely that he got his own Asterisk from them, instead of how the rest of the Grantz Empire got theirs from the crater where they found the Ba'al. (And for those confused about the Ba'al, I suggest you check out the Bravely Default wikipedia site for that, though it'll be more discussed in later chapters.)


	10. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geist explains his powers to the rest of his fellow coworkers at A Cat's Paw Cafe, and realizes he's in need of help regarding his newly-obtained paper magic. Thankfully, he's not alone in this situation.

It turned out that the act of _‘Giving’_ Graves’ powers back to him was as easy as Graves put it. Geist was relieved to return the metal magic to its original owner. He wasn’t sure if the metal was permanently rust magic since it was corrupted in Nacht’s prior use, but he hoped not. It wouldn’t be fair to Graves, in Geist’s opinion. The Exorcist knew that he’d hate to get his

Geist got busy after that meeting, sweeping up floors, wiping tables. It wasn’t as busy as the previous days were at the café, today, due to the music festival finishing up, but it was busy enough to keep him cleaning up after others for a few hours straight. Eventually, Geist did manage to catch some time for a lunch break. Mason was kind enough to quickly make him, Finley and Avery some sandwiches, since none of them really had the time to prepare or make their own lunches from last night. Those sandwiches were really good, too, and Geist appreciated it.

“Hey, Geist?”

Geist looked up to see Reese approach him, just as he finished eating. “Yes?”

“Mind if we talk?” Reese jerked a thumb towards the basement. Geist did his best not to sigh, nodding as he followed the younger man into the basement. For some reason, it was always so dark in there. In a way, it was ominous, given the skeleton that hung in there, was well as some odd, old books. However, it also doubled as a storage room for most of the café’s supplies, so Geist had come down here often before.

“What is it, Reese?” The Exorcist asked, looking him in the eye.

Reese paused, before a chuckle left him, shaking his head. “Graves told me about everything earlier today. I have to say, you’re a lot smarter than I thought.”

He frowned. “What?”

“It’s just,” Reese managed, looking up at him with a grin, “You _actually_ read your contract before you got hired.” The younger man nearly smirked. “Smart of you to catch that bit of ‘great power, but at a price.’ No one else got it. And honestly, it’s probably good you caught it before you signed, or else you’d be turning into a cat by now.”

Geist stared at him. “That contract I almost signed…would’ve turned me into a _cat?”_ As much as Geist was fine with having experience caring for cats (after all, Minette did have her own cat army of a sort, back when they were part of the Grantz Empire), Geist wasn’t sure if he wanted to be a cat himself.

“Yeah.” Reese admitted, nodding. “It would have. Probably would be gradual, though; about a week. Avery almost turned into a cat, but they broke the curse before the full transformation happened.”

“Is everyone else under a curse?” Geist asked. “Am I the only one _uncursed_ because Graves gave me a different contract?”

“Yeah. ‘Cause you’re a temp worker.” Reese leaned against the wall, a sigh leaving him. “Guess I gotta break it to you, but…thing is, _everyone_ at A Cat’s Paw, except for Graves who put the curse on us in the first place, was under a curse when we all started working here. The moment we left the premises of the café, we turned into cats. Graves explained to us, sometime after, that he was doing it to protect us from more experienced witches that kills newbies like us for fun.”

“Like Nacht?”

A fiery look came into Reese’s eyes at that, almost angry. “Yeah.” His voice went flat. “Like him.” A sigh left him, and he shook his head, the fire in his eyes leaving as soon as it came. “Heard about what you did to him. Honestly, he deserved it.”

The Exorcist had a feeling that it was best not to linger on the topic of Nacht for long, changing the subject back to the cat curse. “Well, you seem uncursed now.” Geist noted. “I’ve seen all of you walk out of this place as humans. Why is that?”

He shrugged. “That’s because we all had to figure out our own unique magic to protect ourselves, in order to break the curse. I thought mine was drawing, like my dad, but then Avery helped me find out that I’m actually better with a needle and some existential thread.” A smirk appeared lightly on Reese’s face at that. “I know you’re not cursed, but…I could sense it the moment you walked into the café, you know. Your magic.”

“What?” Geist raised a brow. “I never even used it when I first started visiting.”

“Just because I didn’t learn about my real magical talents doesn’t mean I knew nothing about magic, or rooting out other fellow witches.” Reese countered. “I’m Graves’ _apprentice._ He taught me a lot of what I know.”

“Well,” Geist managed, “Back where I come from, I’m an Exorcist, not a witch. I deal with demons. And more recently, people.”

“So you get rid of demons?”

“Yes. But I can also ‘undo’ things.”

 _“Undo_ stuff?” Reese raised a brow. “How’d you do that against Nacht? I can imagine it’s handy to get rid of the rust, but…How does that work with the killing part?”

“I didn’t use ‘undo’ to kill him. That’s…an eradication spell. Nasty stuff, honestly.” Geist’s nose wrinkled. “Gets blood everywhere. Not convenient for a quiet kill. But as for my ‘undo’ magic…” He paused, before pushing a few books off the closest shelf, letting them hit the floor in a heap.

“Hey!” Reese exclaimed, jumping a bit, before almost glaring up at Geist. “Was _that_ necessary?”

The Exorcist tried not to scowl. “Just watch. _‘Undo!’”_

All the books suddenly lifted themselves into the air, before heading back onto the shelf in perfect order. Reese stared at the shelf, and then towards Geist, nodding slowly.

“Okay. I think I get it now. Must be convenient for cleaning…” Reese’s eyes widened a little, curious. “Did you ever use it during work?”

“As much as I wanted to, no.” Geist couldn’t help but smile a little. “You can imagine I got very good at cleaning, regardless of magic or not. Speaking of magic,” He looked downa t his own hands, then up at Reese, “Do you know how to use paper magic? Apparently, according to Graves, that’s the magic that I took from Nacht after I killed him. You said that you used to do drawing magic like your father…does that correlate in any way to paper magic in general?”

“That’s it’s own unique thing, so no.” Reese shook his head. “I would say that if you knew any paper magic users, you could start by learning from them…but I’m guessing you don’t know any back where you come from or around here, do you?”

“No.”

“Well…” A soft hum left Reese at that, and Geist noticed him frown. “I don’t know of anyone else in this town that has paper magic. And I don’t think you should run to Nacht and ask about it, ‘cause he’d just beat the hell out of you if you don’t beat him up first. I can probably ask around the city if they know anyone that uses paper magic. I can ask Graves if he knows anyone ,too. In the meantime, this is kind-of unstable. It might activate itself randomly, or”

“I don’t think I’ve used it yet, if that’s any relief.” Geist managed, frowning.

That was when Geist heard the crinkling of paper. He frowned, turning his head towards the source, only to see a few pages of a slightly-open book on the shelf folding themselves inwards. _Uh oh_. “Reese?”

“Yeah?” Reese turned to see the paper folding itself, and he jolted slightly. “Oh! That’s…”

“My magic?” Geist asked.

“Yeah.” Reese confirmed. “Pretty sure it is.”

“Do you know how to stop that?” Geist frowned, trying to wave at the book, before grabbing it and shaking it mildly. The pages suddenly straightened themselves on their own, and Geist put the book back on the shelf. This was…odd. “Okay. So...apparently, anything that’s paper shouldn’t be touched by me right now.”

“At least they didn’t start attacking people by accident.” Reese managed, brow raised in interest. “Though…I think it’s something we’ll have to make the others aware of. Just in case.”

Geist could only sigh. “I suppose you have a point.” It wasn’t fair to everyone else that they didn’t know of his powers, especially after all that happened. The truth had to come out at some point.

* * *

“Everyone,” Finley announced after the staff closed the café for the day, “Geist is an Exorcist. He knows magic just like us!”

Landry’s eyes widened, staring at Geist. “You do?”

“E-exorcist?” Hayes swallowed. “Like the movies?”

Geist frowned. “I’m not sure what ‘movies’ you mean, but…if those ones drive out demons like I do, then yes.”

“Hm.” Mason eyed Geist carefully. “How does that work?”

“Well…” Geist paused, before explaining, “I have this thing called an Asterisk. Mine is specifically for the Exorcist position.”

“Exoricst? So you drive out demons?” Landry asked.

“Yes.” Geist nodded once, to confirm it. “In addition to that, my powers focus on ‘undoing’ things that happened. If someone tripped, I could probably ‘undo’ it. If they got wounded…I can make it like it never happened, in the first place.”

“Could we see a demonstration?” Avery asked. “I mean, me and Finley have already seen you at work, but the others, well..”

“Sure. Actually, I was considering showing off how I usually look with my Asterisk activated.” Geist looked down at himself, and then up at the others, “Before I fully activate my Asterisk, however….is anyone here sensitive to the sight and smell of blood on one’s person?”

Avery’s jaw dropped. “What!? Wait, you mean you look something out of _Carrie?_ _That’s_ how bad it is?”

Geist frowned. “I don’t know that movie, but I am literally covered _head-to-toe_ with blood. It wasn’t always like that…not until after I resurrected my son. And that’s another story I don’t think I should tell immediately unless I need to do so.”

“Hayes?” Mason looked toward Hayes, who shuddered at the description. “Will you be okay?”

“I-I’ll be fine.” Hayes nodded a little bit. Landry gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder for comfort, before Graves nodded.

“Go ahead, Geist.” Graves’ icy-blue eye made contact with Geist’s red ones. “You can start now.”

“Okay.” Geist took a deep breath, gripped the Asterisk in his hand, and willed his transformation to life.

His clothes changed first in a flash of soft, blue light. The short cape coat gave Geist a familiar heaviness he remembered when wearing it, and his clothes, from shoulders to shoes, were white…save for the streaks of dried blood that coated it. He felt a familiar dryness on his face, smelling iron, and he put a hand to his face, rubbing it a bit with a hand, before pulling it back to see the dry blood that was usually on his face.

This was the appearance he usually had, back in Luxendarc. Bloody, fearmongering, and deadly.

“Oh wow.” Finley’s jaw dropped as she looked him up and down. “You really weren’t kidding with the blood.”

“At least it’s not trailing onto the floor.” Reese remarked, brows furrowing. “I imagine you must be pretty damn good at cleaning, given how messy _that_ looks…no offense.”

“It wasn’t always there by default.” Geist explained, looking towards Reese. The others had their own variety of surprise on their face; Hayes looked ready to keel over, Landry’s grip on Hayes’ shoulder tightened in caution, Mason’s eyes grew wide, Avery straight-up stared, and Graves both speechless, though Reese was more shocked than Graves, who was surprisingly calm-looking despite the drastic transformation that took place. “Long-story short, but I resurrected my son after he died from a gruesome plague several years ago, ended up joining an Empire to try to change the world, and tortured and killed a lot of people in the process. It’s only recently that the land I come from, Luxendarc, is at peace after all of us, including our former-foes-now-allies, worked together to defeat an evil god.”

“Hm.” Graves took a few steps towards Geist, inspecting the other’s coat, taking in the details of the dried blood. “As far as I can tell, it seems that your Exorcism is already corrupted.”

Geist frowned. “What?” _Corrupted?_ His own magic? He looked down at himself, and then up at Graves. “Why do you think that might be?”

“You didn’t _always_ automatically look like this when you used your magic, correct?” Graves pointed out. “As far as I’ve heard and observed from you, it was only later on, all of those incidents, that it grew warped to the point of affecting your outward appearance. It seems that how you used it, once you started turning literally bloody, might be an effect of the magic being corrupted.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Geist frowned. “Is that dangerous?”

Graves simply shook his head. “Yes and no. Corrupted magic can affect one’s mental and emotional state. However, you’ve been handling it for years in this state as is, and as far as I can see, you’ve made some peace with it. But…this may affect the _new_ abilities you have, now that you _Took_ Nacht’s paper magic. Having new magic while in a corrupted state might corrupt the new magic itself. There are two choices of what you can do with it: Prevent the corruption from fully taking over, or allow it to happen. Until it reaches either of those conclusions, however, your new powers might be…unstable.“

Geist raised a brow. “How unstable are we talking, here? Could I hurt someone by accident? Will this affect my other abilities?” The last thing he wanted was to hurt one of his own allies, or his own son, just because he had new powers.

“It depends.” Graves shook his head. “These cases don’t happen often, but they’re majorly determined by how the user reacts to them and utilizes them in the early stages of having this new magic.”

“That doesn’t sound good.” Landry pointed out, grimacing. “What do we do?”

“I’d say Geist could stick around here a bit longer.” Reese pointed out. “I mean, you’re not in a rush or anything, are you? We could observe you for a couple days to see how the new powers work with you and if you can at least stabilize them.”

“But I can’t.” Geist blurted out, and he swallowed, realizing that the wedding date wasn’t far away. “I have a wedding to get to, and…”

 _Oh, wait._ It dawned on him that there was, indeed, a wedding. Weddings meant there would be people. People meant that there would be innocent bystanders and potential victims to his own now-unstable magic.

_Yew and Magnolia’s wedding. Of all the times I have to have unstable powers, why now?_

A groan left him, and he shook his head. “Shit, the _wedding.”_ Geist sunk into the nearest chair, swallowing. He was supposed to go back to Luxendarc tomorrow, and he had new powers that may or may not be unstable. _What am I going to do?_

“What?” Avery looked towards Geist, frowning. “What wedding?”

“I have a wedding to attend back in Luxendarc. I’m supposed to be heading back to Luxendarc after tomorrow. “ _I have to pick up Rev, I still need a decent, not-bloody outfit… and now I have new magic that might be very unstable right now, to boot. What am I going to do?_ “I can’t just stay back here and wait for my new magic to stabilize. I made a promise to be there for the rehearsal dinner and the actual wedding, and I need to pick up my son from school in Al-Khampis beforehand, and…”

“Hey.” He heard Finley speak up, and he looked up to see her look him in the eye. “We’ll figure out something…I don’t know,” She looked towards Graves, “We can’t just stop him from going to a wedding. Maybe one of us could…stick with him and keep a lookout for him?”

A soft hum left Graves, but he nodded. “I agree with Finley’s suggestion. Having new magic could affect your control over it, even if you are a master of exorcism. It would be handy to have someone stick with you, even if you have to head back for the wedding.”

“Ohhh boy.” Reese couldn’t help but groan. “Does this mean we have to give him a crash-course?”

“It could work.” Avery pointed out. “Why not? We all tried it before against Nacht the first time around, and it _kind-of_ worked. We just gotta cram it all into Geist’s head for the next few hours!”

“I don’t think we have enough time for a crash course.” Geist grimaced. What would happen if he suddenly made the wedding programs fly in the air and hurt someone? Or if his exorcism magic got out of hand by accident at the wedding reception? “I think it would be easier if we went with Finley and Graves’ suggestion. Could someone…be willing to come with me to Luxendarc, and keep tabs on me? And make sure I don’t go out of control?” He swallowed, closing his eyes. “I’m sorry I have to place this responsibility on one of you so suddenly.”

Finley cleared her throat, and everyone’s gazes snapped towards her.

“I can go.” Her voice was level. “I can go with Geist to the wedding and make sure he’s okay.”

“Are you sure about that?” Landry asked, swallowing. “I mean, I don’t know…Geist, is your friend at the wedding going to be fine with you bringing a plus-one as is?”

Geist shrugged. “They are expecting my son to be there with me. I’m sure they can accommodate one more person.” He managed. “Also, they know a thing or two about dangerous magic, so I’m sure they’ll understand if I bring someone along to help me with the new magic.”

“And how long is the wedding?” Hayes asked.

“The wedding rehearsal is in a few days from now, and the actual wedding is two days after that, so…it should be finished within the week.” The Exorcist managed. “I’ll try not to keep Finley from all of you too long. I don’t want the café going under because I took their social-media person from them for a week.”

“I see.” Graves paused, his eyes scanning everyone, before speaking. “Finley, you and Geist will head back to Luxendarc for the wedding as soon as you can, after work tomorrow. Avery and I can cover for Finley while you’re gone.”

“I can hold down the fort with the social media stuff.” Avery managed sheepishly, looking towards Geist.

“If you need any help, I’m a text message away.” Finley reassured them, offering them a smile. “We’ll make sure to keep in touch and keep all of you updated while we’re gone.”

Geist looked between everyone, realizing they were all nodding in agreement or gave some sign of confirmation. “You’re willing to do this? For me?”

“You’ve helped us a lot already.” Mason shrugged. “Wouldn’t be fair if we didn’t help you.”

“I-I agree with Mason.” Hayes looked like he might faint, but he was holding himself together at the sight of Geist’s bloody appearance at this point.

“Same with me.” Landry nodded. “We’ll figure things out while you and Finley are gone, Geist. We’ll be okay for a week.”

“Not much longer than that, though, if you can.” Reese finally conceded. “Graves is hopeless with social media.”

“Good thing Finley taught me a few things recently, then…” Avery managed, a sheepish laugh leaving their lips. “We’ll be okay for now.”

“Besides,” Finley finished, looking Geist in the eye, “What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t help you out when you needed it?”

Geist felt himself smile at that last part. Friends? Him and everyone, friends? He never thought that would get friends in a faraway place like this one, but he was grateful for them. He even noticed Graves crack a smile, and the Exorcist took a deep breath.

“Thank you…everyone.”

Whatever lay ahead for them, with the upcoming wedding and his unstable powers, Geist knew he could only hope that things worked out for the best. They would make it work the best they could. They would try, at least, and that was all they could do.


	11. The Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geist gives Finley a heads-up on what to expect, on the way back to Luxendarc.

During the last day of work, Geist made sure all of his things were packed. After all, he and Finley would be getting on a ship the next morning to go to Luxendarc, all the way to the city of Gathelatio’s port. The trip would take at least half a day, but they would get there on time, at least. Geist was also pleased to find that he managed to get a ticket for Finley for the ship despite it being so last-minute, which was a relief.

“Geist? This is for you.” Graves handed Geist a small pouch, at the end of the final workday. Graves and the others were kind to host dinner at the café after closing, partially as a goodbye/thank-you gift to Geist for helping them out as a temp worker for the past while, and also to wish him luck with things back in Luxendarc.

Geist gazed down at the pouch, then up at Graves. “What is it?”

“Open it when you need it most. It may help with your newfound knack.”

Something involving my new paper powers? In case I need it most? “When will I know when I need it most?”

He heard Graves chuckle a little. “I’m sure you’ll know when to cross that bridge.”

Geist decided to not think too hard about it, keeping it safe in his inner jacket pocket. He’d worry about it later, after they were done with tonight’s small party.

* * *

The next morning, Finley and Geist got on the ship together, and it set off for the port of Gathelatio, in Luxendarc. It would take some time to get to Gathelatio, so the two couldn’t do much than just walk around on the ship and wait to arrive at their destination.

“Are there any particular friends I should know of?” Finley asked. Both of them were up on the main deck, surveying the surrounding waters. The trip reminded Geist of the few ships he’d been on, during his past work for the Crystal Orthodoxy. Being an Exorcist required a lot of travel, and back then, before the plague hit Luxendarc, going on a ship was one of the fastest ways to get to places.

“Well, there’s Yew Geneolgia and Magnolia Arch.” Geist started, turning to face her. “They’re engaged, and they’re the ones getting married. There’s also Yew’s friend, Janne Balestra, who’s the best man. He’s a little pup.”

She stared. “Janne is a dog?”

“No. But he’s known as the ‘Blazing Wolf’ because of his Fencer Asterisk and how he uses it. He calls me reaper, from time to time.”

“Cool.” She leaned against the railing, a smile coming to her face. “You mentioned that you had a son, right? Revenant?”

“Yes, Rev.” Geist nodded. “However, I should let you know…his form is not of a person.”

“Not of a person?” She frowned lightly.

“His soul is sealed in a suit of armor. It was the best I could do at the time, when I resurrected him.” The Exorcist swallowed at the memory, trying not to visualize it in his head. “So…he’ll be a walking, talking, suit of armor.”

“Oh wow.” Her eyes widened. “That’s…”

“Not the best idea at the time, I know.”

“That’s not what I was gonna say, Geist.” He looked her in the eye as she spoke up, her gaze softening. “I mean…I’m no parent or anything, but I probably would’ve done the same thing. Try to save your kid from the worst.”

A sigh left him at that. “Sometimes, I wonder if it was the right thing. Rev was all I had left, at the time, and…” He shook his head. “I don’t know how long he will last like that. It’s a miracle he’s lasted this whole time. Some of my allies think that he probably won’t die until I do, given that I was the one that resurrected him and put him into his current form, but…I don’t know.”

She gave him a pat on the upper arm, trying to give him a reassuring smile. “Well, I’m just glad both of you are together now. And I look forward to meeting him.”

The Exorcist couldn’t help but smile at that. “Thank you, Finley.” He paused, thinking. Now that he thought of it, he would probably be seeing Nobutsuna first, right? After all, he had to pick up Minette from Al-Khampis, just like Geist had to pick up Rev. It would be good to give the Swordmaster a call and let him know what was going on. “I suppose I should introduce you to someone before we even get here.” Geist took out his phone, before dialing a number. “Give me a second.”

“A friend?” Finley blinked. “Girlfriend? Boyfriend?”

“Just a friend.” Geist corrected her, just as the call went through, showing Nobutsuna Kamiizumi’s face. “Hello? Nobutsuna? You’re on speaker.”

“Geist!” The face of Swordmaster Nobutsuna Kamiizumi faced him through the phone. His grey eyes were a familiar sight, and it didn’t look like Kamiizumi was too busy, thankfully. “Is thing on? Can you hear me?”

“Yes, I can.” Geist clarified. “I know I should’ve called you earlier about this, but I have good news and bad news.”

“Both good news and bad news?” The Swordmaster raised a brow. “What is it?”

“Good news, I have paper magic now and I’m bringing a friend to the wedding as my plus-one. Bad news, I have paper magic now, it’s _unstable,_ and I can’t touch any paper without it randomly folding itself or flying around the place.”

The Swordmaster stared. _“What?”_

Geist grimaced. “It’s a long story. But before that, Finley, er, want to introduce yourself?”

“Sure!” Finley took the opportunity to wave at Kamiizumi. “Hi! I’m Finley! Nice to meet you!”

“We met in the city.” Geist explained. “Also, she’ll be my plus-one for the wedding, other than Rev.”

“What?” The Swordmaster stared at Geist, and then at Finley, and then at Geist again. “Geist…I am glad that you’re making new friends, but…”

A groan left the Exorcist, and he shook his head. “We are very platonic friends, Nobutsuna. I assure you. Besides, she already has a significant other back at home. And Janne had the exact same thought about it when I told him about her!”

“Apologies.” Kamiizumi grimaced a little, before continuing. “But…to bring a friend so suddenly…is there a reason?”

“Other than a free chance to attend a wedding? Well…” Finley paused, looking between Geist and Kamiizumi, “There’s the thing about the unstable powers. And…I kinda have to keep an eye on him for a few reasons…”

* * *

“And,” Geist finished, “That’s the whole story.”

Swordmaster Nobutsuna Kamiizumi stared at him through the phone. Finley suppressed a giggle from how shocked the other man looked.

“Let me try to summarize this.” The Swordmster managed, after a moment of silence. “You went to the city, met Finley and worked a temp job at A Cat’s Paw café as cleaning help for the past week and a bit, murdered the owner’s ex-boyfriend after he tried to kill you two during a late-night music festival, and now you have all of his magic because you _took_ it from him automatically after killing him?”

“Yep.”

“In less than two weeks?”

“Exactly.” Finley offered Kamiizumi a sheepish grin, noticing the older man’s bewildered expression. He didn’t seem like a man who got shocked often by things like this. Then again, Finley supposed that she would be shocked, finding out that their friend got into all of these shenanigans. “I’m sticking with him to make sure the new magic stabilizes, hence why I’m the plus-one for the wedding.”

“The magic is unstable?” Kamiizumi frowned. “I don’t know as much about magic as the two of you would, given that my Asterisk centers on physical defense and counterattacks.”

Geist nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. I can’t touch paper without it folding itself into origami or other odd shapes. It’s unstable because it’s new to me. It’s always like that with anyone using magic unfamiliar to them.”

“But that’s all that happened, right?” The Swordmaster noted. “If you were to touch a wedding invite or a card, and it folded itself, you could pass it off as a joke and ‘undo’ it, perhaps.”

“I guess I could.” The Exorcist managed. “But other things could happen. I don’t know what other things, but…it’s best I have someone keeping an eye on me, and Finley being my plus-one is the best way to do it. I plan to let Yew and Magnolia know about it, too, as well as the rest of the wedding party.”

“Well, that would be good for them to know.” Kamiizumi agreed. “The sooner, the better. I’m glad you’re taking careful steps with this.”

“Agreed. Also…” Geist swallowed, looking down at his hands, and then up at Kamiizumi, “I also found out something from Graves. It turns out that my exorcism magic has been corrupted for years.”

“Corrupted?”

“Yeah. Corrupted magic can affect one’s emotional and mental state…which may explain my sadism and previous enjoyment of torturing other people.” The Exorcist shuddered, shaking his head. “It makes me wonder how I’ve managed to stay alive despite having corrupted magic for years. I never thought much of that, but…it makes a lot more sense about how I became the way I was.”

Kamiizumi’s gaze softened. “You were in a very complicated situation, Geist. I know you blame yourself for a _lot_ of things, but we can’t linger in the past. At least you have some idea of what happened with you, which is good to keep in mind. But as for your new magic…will that also be corrupted?”

“It’s possible.” Geist confirmed.

“Graves said something about Geist either letting it be corrupted, or trying to prevent that.” Finley managed. “But we don’t know how, ‘cause we don’t have those cases often back with all of us witches.”

Kamiizumi’s gaze shot towards Finley. “You’re a witch?”

“I’m a newbie at it, but yes.” She smiled. “Graves is the most powerful witch in the city, so I promised to keep him updated on any progress Geist makes with his new magic. That way, we can see how it goes in the first stages of development.’

“I trust this will work out.” Kamiizumi looked towards Geist. “Have you told Yew and Magnolia yet, at least?”

“No.” A sigh left Geist at that, shaking his head. “I plan to once I see them in person. I also will break it to Rev after I pick him up, too. Might even just inform the entire wedding party to an extent. Just to make them aware. The last thing I want is to ruin the wedding because magic went haywire.”

“That’s a fair point.” The Swordmaster offered Geist a reassuring smile. “Just focus on getting back to Luxendarc safely, okay? We can figure things out once you and Finley arrive.”

“Thanks, ‘Tsuna.” Geist offered Kamiizumi. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Bye.”

Geist hung up after Finley also bid Kamiizumi goodbye for now, and Finley couldn’t help but smile. “So, you and Nobutsuna are both dads, huh?”

“Yes.” Geist turned to face her, putting his phone away. “He recently adopted Minette. She’s half-cat, half-human, due to…circumstances.”

“She’s literally half cat?” Finley’s eyes widened at that. “How?”

“Her biological mother had something to do with it. It was to prevent the plague from infecting Minette, but…it had its side-effects.” Geist grimaced. “It’s best we don’t talk about it out here right now.”

“Fair.” She looked out towards the waters, twiddling her thumbs briefly. “So, how long is it until we get there?”

“Probably another hour and a half.”

“Wait.” Finley looked up at him, eyes widening. “What if I filmed a nail tutorial?”

“What? On the ship?”

“Yeah! I think I saw some tables.” She took his hand in hers, dragging him off in one direction. “I can film a quick nail tutorial and send it to Avery to edit for the café!”

“Why a nail tutorial? How does this help?”

“You know how I can turn into a cat, right? I do nail tutorials and stuff for fun videos. Besides,” She tried to give him innocent doe-eyes, “I promise I won’t show your face! I’ll just use your hand for the shot.”

“Promise?”

“Promise. Let’s do this!”

* * *

One manicured hand and video taken later, Geist stared down at his hand as the two arrived at the port of Gathelatio. The sight of the Orthodoxy buildings in the distance made him frown slightly, but as he and Finley got onto the docks after getting off the ship, he noticed the Swordmaster approaching them, familiar in that green kimono he wore.

“Geist!”

“Tsuna.” Geist offered Kamiizumi nod of acknowledgement as they approached each other. “It’s good to see you.”

Kamiizumi offered Geist a smile. “It’s good to see you, too.” He paused, before his gaze drifted downwards. “Geist?”

“Hm?”

Kamiizumi pointed at Geist’s left hand. “Why is your left hand covered in nail polish?”

“Ah, that.” Geist’s gaze darted towards the manicure Finley gave him, and then up at the Swordmaster, holding up his hand so Kamiizumi could see it better. “Finley was filming a nail art tutorial and needed to borrow my hand for it.”

“Please don’t tell me you cut it off for her to use.” Kamiizumi murmured, but Geist simply shook his head.

“It would’ve made a big mess, so I didn’t do that.” A chuckle left him at that.

Finley shuddered. “You haven’t actually cut off your own hand before, have you?”

Geist sighed. “No. But others have. The look of shock on their faces after I _‘undid’_ it was worth it, though.”

“No more getting limbs willingly cut off!” Finley offered him a short glare. “What if it went flying into the ocean!?”

“I could still ‘undo’ it.” Geist argued, before he groaned. “It’s the last thing I hope to expect during this wedding, so let’s not argue about this further, okay?”

“Fair, fair.” A chuckle escaped Finley as she looked towards Kamiizumi, smiling. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Kamiizumi, in-person!”

“Just Kamiizumi is fine, but thank you.” Kamiizumi offered Finley a smile, before looking towards Geist. “Will Finley be staying with you for the whole week?” He asked.

Geist nodded, looking between Finley and Kamiizumi. “I have more than enough room in my house.” The Exorcist managed. “Finley can take a guest room.”

“A guest room?” Her eyes widened as she looked towards Geist. “How big is your house?”

“It’s big enough.” Geist managed. “Rev and I got the house back after everything finished up involving the Orthodoxy and the Grantz Empire.”

“What do you mean, you got it back?”

The Exorcist grimaced. “Because of the damage of the great plague, coupled with my resurrecting Rev, I virtually left the Orthodoxy all those years ago. They confiscated the property that House Grace had, because of that. However, now that I’m working with them again, to an extent, they gave it back…and a lot of other reparations, too. Mainly monetary reparations, that is.”

“Wait, you’re rich!?” Her jaw dropped. “Seriously!?”

“Quiet down!” The older man shook his head. “I don’t want people to know _that._ That’s between us, okay? Besides, I want to keep it for Rev’s education in case. Al-Khampis can be expensive schooling.”

Kamiizumi made a face at that. “I agree. If it wasn’t for Professor Norzen having worked with us before, I don’t think we would have a chance of enrolling our children.”

Finley grimaced. “That expensive, huh?” It reminded her of her own debts to pay, after finishing college. “That’s gotta suck.”

“It’s worth it, though. Rev and Minette get to learn about the world, and get to know others. But because they’re both familiar already with Professor Norzen, who is a prominent figure in Al-Khampis Academy, we both know that they’ll be relatively safe.” Geist offered Finley a sheepish grin. “Tsuna and I can both be worried fathers.”

“Mostly you.” Kamiizumi pointed out, and Geist gave him a mock-glare.

“Hey! You’re just as much of a worrywart. I’ve heard plenty of stories of you and the now-Grand-Marshall of Eternia bickering over her safety!”

Geist heard Finley laugh, and he turned to see her trying to suppress a giggle. “Sorry! It’s just…this is adorable. And it’s nice to see you both care so much for your kids, you know? It’s cute.” Her eyes flashed with a certain mischief. “And speaking of cuteness…are you two seeing each other?”

Kamiizumi stared back at her, frowning lightly. “What do you mean?”

Geist tried to suppress a groan as he looked Finley in the eye. “Tsuna and I aren’t like that, Finley. We are not another version of Bl@st Zone coming to life. No steam here.”

“What is Bl@st Zone?”

Geist offered Kamiizumi a sheepish look. “It’s a game that Finley is fond of. It involves steamy moments and men fighting passionately.”

“I…see.” Kamiizumi cleared his throat. “Anyway, I also heard from Norzen earlier that Minette and Revenant are on an airship now. They should be arriving in Gathelatio in an hour from now, so we don’t have to worry about picking them up ourselves.”

Geist heaved a relieved breath at that. “That’s good.” He managed. “I hope they’re both dealing well with heights…Minette can get a bit antsy.” With Minette being half-cat, Geist vaguely remembered a few moments where the cat girl was stuck in a tree and couldn’t get down.

“I’m sure she’ll be okay with Revenant by her side.” Kamiizumi reassured him. “All we have to do is wait.”

“Good.” Geist took a deep breath, and then looked towards the Swordmaster. “Then I guess we just wait.”

That was all they could do for now, after all.


	12. Worries and Concerns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finley meets many new faces and tags along to a group discussion about the upcoming wedding rehearsal (which is literally tomorrow!). Nikolai and Geist, meanwhile, have a serious chat.

Geist had missed Revenant, during these past two weeks. How could he not? The father and son pair were inseparable in terms of bonding, and Geist knew that too well, given their shared history together. He’d missed Revenant a lot when the boy first left for Al-Khampis, but he was determined to give Revenant the chance to see the world and learn more about it. Besides, it helped that Minette was with Rev, so it wasn’t like he was alone.

How was his son? Had he made friends? Was he doing well in school? What if there were bullies out to get him? Geist wasn’t sure how to feel about any of it, but as long as his son was back in Gathelatio with him, safe and sound, things would be fine. He considered bringing Finley straight to his house first, and then returning back to the port to pick up Rev (apparently the airship would land at the docks instead of the usual landing due to some Frosti going haywire over there), but then again, they only had to wait an hour or less. Instead, Geist used the opportunity to show Finley around the general area of Gathelatio, full of merchants, Orthodoxy people, and so on.

He told her about the history, of how the former Pope Agnes forged a peace treaty with the Duchy of Eternia and what was left of the Grantz Empire. He told her more about Yew Geneolgia, Denys Geneolgia, and their father Griede, who played a devastating part in the Great Plague. He also told her more of Janne Balestra’s history, given how his parents died trying to make things right instead of working with the Orthodoxy to do almost-nothing about the Great Plague going on, at the time. It was important that Finley knew the history. After all, she’d be attending the wedding of Yew, who was still working with the Orthodoxy and in the middle of reforming it. The Exorcist believed it was better to be informed than ignorant, about the world. There was only so much one could shut out, after all, and given that Finley was new here, she ought to know as much as she needed to know.

Unfortunately, this history-recap/tour resulted in Geist and Kamiizumi having to explain everything involving not just Providence, but also Ouroburos.

“Finley? Are you okay?” Geist noticed Finley’s gaze glazing over at some point as they came back to the port, watching the ships arrive. “You look lost.”

“Oh, no, I’m okay.” Finley reassured him, blinking several times. “It’s just…a lot.”

“It is.” Kamiizumi agreed with a sigh.

“Still, though.” Finley looked between Geist and Kamiizumi, eyes wide, “I can’t believe you both went through all the history that…happened, in such a short time.”

“You don’t think much of it in the moment.” Geist admitted. “You get caught up in working for the future that one rarely remembers to look back on the past.”

_“Daddy!”_

Geist knew that voice. He turned to see none other than Revenant, the glowing blue suit of armor that was, in fact, none other than his son. Geist didn’t hesitate to run over to Rev, pulling his son into a tight hug. He smiled, looking up at Revenant, and for a moment, he didn’t think about his newfound magic, or the history that went into all of Luxendarc and led up to today. Right now, his son was here, and that alone brought Geist some joy.

* * *

Finley knew she had a LOT to take in. She knew that there was a whole lot more to this Crystal Orthodoxy and the Geneolgia family than what Geist told her earlier on the boat, as well as Janne Balestra being caught up in this, but still. This was a lot.

She was a little surprised to see an animated suit of armor speaking to Geist, but then it dawned on her that it was none other than Revenant Grace. Geist had told her about him, but hearing about him and seeing him were two very different things.

“I’m Revenant! Revenant Grace.” Revenant looked down at her (as he was taller than her), and Finley offered him a smile back.

“I’m Finley. Nice to meet you, Rev!”

“Any friend of Daddy is my friend too.” Revenant looked like he coud jump in excitement if he could right now. “I’m glad you’ll be here for the wedding!”

Minette Napkatti, a much shorter girl and clearly a cat girl with the ears and hoodie, tried to climb onto Kamiizumi’s shoulders. The Swordmaster laughed and helped her up, and she peered at Finley over his head.

“Mew’re nice.” Minette decided. “Minette is glad to meet you!”

Finley smiled back at her. “Nice to meet you too.”

Kamiizumi checked the clock on the nearby tower. “We should head over to Yew and Magnolia’s place to discuss the wedding rehearsal and such. They’re expecting us soon…”

“Already?” Geist couldn’t help but sigh. “Sorry about this Finley. We can get you settled in at my place afterwards.”

Finley simply nodded. “Oh, it’s fine. It’ll be nice to meet the bride and groom!”

She’d heard a bit about Yew and Magnolia being together from Geist, during their conversation on the boat on the way to Luxendarc, and those two sounded like a cute couple. As the party started on their way, towards a large manor at one side of Gathelatio, Finley heard someone call out to them.

“Hey! Reaper!”

She whirled around to see a young man with dark black hair, wild and thick and trailing past his shoulders, approaching Geist. She noticed the rapier attached to his belt, and she guessed it made sense; after all, Janne had the ‘Fencer’ Asterisk.

“Janne?” Geist turned to face him, eyes widening. “I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon.”

“Needed a break from wedding planning. Thought I’d come out and meet you guys before we have all the rehearsal discussions.” A groan left Janne at that, before a laugh followed, and he offered Geist a sheepish grin. “You have no idea how intense it is, being the best man for your best friend’s wedding.”

“I imagine it’s busy, yes.” Geist uttered, just as Janne looked towards Finley, raising a brow.

“And you are…?”

Finley offered him a grin. “I’m Finley. Geist and I met at A Cat’s Paw. I think you’ve heard of me?”

“A Cat’s Paw…OH.” Janne’s gaze snapped towards Geist. “I remember now. You told me about her and how you scared off that dude harassing her the other time, right?”

“Yes.” Geist nodded, confirming. “I can safely say that that man never showed up again. She’s going to be my plus-one for the wedding.”

“What?” Janne stared between both of them. “You two _are_ friends, right?”

“I have a significant other at home.” Finley quickly quipped, and Janne nodded a bit.

“Friends. Gotcha.”

Geist glared at him. “I _told_ you we weren’t dating.”

Janne shrugged. “You never know. It seems that these days, everyone has the lovebug. And it’s not just Yew and Magnolia or Aimee and Angelo, either.” He paused, before looking towards Geist one more time. “Why is she your plus-one, though? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Finley took a deep breath. “Well…let’s just say that Geist has new magic, it _might_ be really unstable right now, and you need to make sure he doesn’t touch any paper or else it’ll become a sea of origami.”

Geist shuddered, shaking his head. “I think a ‘sea’ of origami is exaggerating things…”

“What?” Janne’s eyes widened. “Geist…what the hell did you do?”

Geist could only sigh, offering him a pat on the shoulder. “I’ll explain things to you while we walk over to Yew and Magnolia’s place. Shall we?”

* * *

“So…basically you killed a guy and you got his paper magic. _Why_ am I not surprised?”

Geist sighed. “I swear, it was a last-resort thing, Janne.”

“Really?” Janne raised a brow. “I thought the murder days were over, reaper.”

“Apparently not.” A soft chuckle left Geist at that. “It was either that or me and Finley would be rust statues, so I think we had a lesser of two evils situation in that case.”

“Well,” Janne sighed, “As long as you don’t accidentally decapitate someone with a paper napkin, I think we’re good. At least, I think we’re good. Nikolai might have different opinions.”

“Nikolai?” Finley piped up, looking towards Geist. “Who’s he?”

“He’s someone I worked with back in my days at the Grantz Empire.” Geist managed, sighing. “The Bishop Asterisk is what he uses. Holy and healing magic is his specialization.”

“Would he know anything about paper magic?”

“Probably not.”

“Maybe he’ll be more understanding since he uses two types of magic.” Janne quipped. The group had just arrived at Yew and Magnolia’s house, a large manor, and Janne rang the doorbell. “Either that, or he’s gonna make sure you don’t go to the wedding out of fear that you’ll accidentally murder everyone attending.”

Geist glared at him. “I _really_ hope, for all of our sakes, that you’re joking about the latter option.”

“I am.” Geist kept glaring at him until Janne groaned. “I am, I swear!”

That was when the door opened, and an elderly man, likely the butler that served Yew, answered the door. “Sir Balestra? And I see that Sir Grace and your companions are with you.”

“Uh, yeah.” Janne offered the older man a soft grin. “Nice to see you too, Alfred. Is Yew in?”

“He is. Please, follow me.”

* * *

The group went into the house, and Finley took the time to just look around. The house of Yew Geneolgia was…huge, for lack of better words. She knew it was a big mansion when first approaching it, but the interior was so grand and beautiful. As she entered the living room area, she noticed the huge painting of who was presumably Yew, with a whole bunch of other people. They didn’t look related to each other, though. Were they friends of his, perhaps?

Sitting in the various couches and/or armchairs in the room were three people; a silver-haired woman in a purple, stylish outfit, a younger man with brown hair, and an older man with slightly darker brown hair, wearing what seemed to be priest vestments, or at least clothes that clearly showed he was part of some holy order. Probably Crystalism, Finley guessed, given that was the main religion in Luxendarc. Perhaps it was the Bishop that she overheard Geist and Janne speak about? Nikolai, right?

“Bonjour!” The woman was quick to greet everyone, standing from where she stood and offering them a smile. “Please, have a seat. It’s so good to see you.”

“Thanks for coming to the meeting.” The younger man spoke up, offering them a smile. He then noticed Finley, blinking. “Sorry, have we met? I don’t recognize you…”

“Er,” Geist cleared his throat, and Finley felt his hand on her shoulder briefly, “This is Finley. She’s a friend of mine that I made recently, when I was out of Luxendarc. She’ll be my plus-one for the wedding, so…I hope you don’t mind.’

“I’m kinda needed.” Finley waved at Yew, Magnolia and Nikolai, offering them a grin.

“Needed?” Nikolai looked between Finley and Geist. “What is going on here?”

Geist took a deep breath. “Well…”

Finley decided it was best to give a recapped version of everything. “Geist killed the ex-boyfriend of my boss while saving my life, inherited his paper magic, and now his new magic is unstable due to being corrupted as is and I have to keep watch over him until at least the wedding is over.”

“What?” Yew’s jaw dropped. He shut it quickly, but he stared at Geist, then at Finley, and then at Geist again. “How?”

Geist could only shrug. “A lot of things can apparently happen in two weeks. Oh, and Finley’s a witch, by the way.”

“Well, then.” Nikolai cleared his throat, clearly a bit shocked by the sudden news (or maybe a bit was an understatement). “When you say paper magic…how unstable is it, exactly?”

“All the paper things I’ve touched fold themselves up or get wrinkled up.” Geist muttered, shrugging. “Honestly, it’s not nearly as bad as my exorcism so far.”

“But it could be potentially dangerous.” Finley managed “Emphasis on potentially.”

“Well…” Yew looked towards Magnolia, then Nikolai, “I can see how it could be worrying, but if Geist is with someone that is looking out for him and his magic, I don’t think it’ll be too huge of a problem.”

“Are you an expert in paper magic?” Nikolai asked.

Finley shook her head. “Nope. But, I do have contact with the most powerful witch in the city where I come from if I need any help.”

“Well…” The Bishop frowned, but Yew sighed, looking towards him.

“I don’t see how this will be a problem, Nikolai. He has someone to help him out get adjusted.”

“Exactly how unstable is this magic?” Nikolai asked, staring towards Geist.

Geist swallowed. “Er…I haven’t hurt anyone, if that’s what you’re asking. Not yet, at least. Accidentally folded a bunch of paper, but that’s it.”

“Well…okay.” He paused, before speaking. “Geist, can we talk alone for a moment?”

“What?” Finley stared at Nikolai. “Why?”

“It’s fine, Finley.” Geist managed, looking towards her. “We’ll be fine. It’ll just be a few moments.”

* * *

Geist followed Nikolai to one of the private rooms in Yew Geneolgia’s manor. As Geist closed the door behind them, he turned to face Nikolai with a sigh. “I know you and I don’t like each other, but let’s just try to be at peace with each other for Yew’s wedding, okay? It’s just paper magic, Nikolai. It’s not like I’m an evil god or something.”

“I know that. But we also know that you were unstable as is from using your Exorcism. Additional magic could affect your head.” A sigh left the Bishop at that as he shook his head. “I trust that you and Finley are trying to do the right thing, but if this gets out of control, it’ll be like how you were back in the Grantz Empire. Killing people without remorse.”

He swallowed. “I know.”

“I know how sadistic you can be, Geist. I’ve seen you in action. If you do anything potentially life-threatening anytime soon, regardless of accidental or not, it could hurt a lot more people than you hope.”

“And I’m trying.” Geist stressed, looking him in the eye. “You know that I’ve been trying. I know that I’ve been feared for my powers, Nikolai, and for what I’ve done with them. I’m not proud of it.”

“You seemed certainly proud of nearly massacring all of Florem.”

The Exorcist raised a brow. “That was one time, and I was ordered to do it.”

“You were ordered to interrogate them, _not_ kill them.” Nikolai frowned. “There’s a difference. You’re treading on unsteady territory with your new powers.”

“I’m aware of that, Nikolai. And I promise I’ll do all I can to keep my powers in check. But I can’t guarantee it.”

“Try to.” That was what the other responded with. “For all of our sakes. Okay?”

Geist could only sigh and say yes. Trying was all he could do at this point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, fellow readers! Thank you for reading and supporting this fic so far. 
> 
> I'm happy to announce that this fic will have weekly updates instead of biweekly updates on Fridays, starting on December 4th. I hope you look forward to reading the upcoming chapters!


	13. Hiding

Finley hoped that Geist was okay. He seemed relatively fine after his private chat with Nikolai, whatever that was about. Then again, she knew that he could be hiding how he truly felt. It was hard to tell sometimes.

The wedding rehearsal dinner wasn’t until tomorrow, so Finley had plenty of time to get settled in at Geist and Revenant’s place in a guest room, before she, Geist and Revenant went to do some shopping (partially to try to get Finley an outfit for the upcoming wedding and also so Geist could get his own) before going to get some dinner together. Janne had offered to stick around with Finley, and she suspected that it was because he still wanted to take a break from wedding planning with Yew and Magnolia.

“Do you have any idea what you’re gonna say during the speech?” Finley asked him. “You know, since you’re the best man and all.”

“There’s a lot I could say, but I don’t know if I should say all of it.” Janne chuckled sheepishly. “Honestly, I’d roast Yew if I could, but I don’t think he or Magnolia would appreciate it.”

“Probably not too much.” She admitted. Though Yew and Magnolia seemed nice, they both seemed like more serious people in general. “But you do have at least some idea, right?”

“Er…” Janne shook his head. “Honestly? Not really.”

“What?” Finley stared at him. “You do realize the wedding is in a few days, right? No offense, but…”

“I know it is. I’m just stuck.” Janne groaned, leaning back against the bench. “Look…I know you don’t know me and Yew well, but…you know about the Grantz Empire and how we had all that conflict, right? Me and Yew were on opposite sides. He and I literally fought each other to death, and…” He leaned forwards a little, shaking his head. “I don’t want to mention that in the speech, of course. But I don’t really know Magnolia too well. And it feels like a copout to just spout a bunch of flowery stuff about her and Yew, you know, given everything that happened between us? So…”

“Maybe you can bypass mentioning fighting each other to the death.” Finley managed, swallowing. “I think it’s important to focus on the good that you do know. You know good things about Yew, right? And Magnolia? And about the two of them together?”

“I think so. I’ll…I’ll figure out something in due time. Thanks.” Janne offered her a grin, and Finley offered him one back. She paused, thinking of how Geist had told her how he saw Janne as a friend, before speaking up.

“What do you know about Geist, anyway? I know you worked with him in the Grantz Empire.”

“Geist was…really violent, back when we worked together in the Grantz Empire. He cared nothing but for his son’s safety, which makes sense given all that he went through.” Janne paused, before asking, “You do know about his past, right?”

She shrugged. “He’s told me about it.”

“Okay. Well…he was pretty _sadistic,_ when I worked with him. He and I got into fights pretty regularly.”

Fights? She frowned at that. “But you’re friends now, right?”

It was his turn to shrug. “Kinda. Better him and me than him and Nikolai, though. They hate each other’s guts.”

“I can imagine why.” A Bishop with healing magic, and then the Exorcist who previously tortured and murdered people…that didn’t sound like two people you wanted in the same room together.

“Nikolai still doesn’t trust him. Geist wasn’t exactly remorseful over his actions…at least not at first. Especially since his job mainly relied on interrogation and all that.” Janne sighed. “Nikolai already had issues with Geist being part of the wedding party as is. Now with this magic…I’m not so sure how it’s gonna go.”

“I’ll do my best to help Geist.” Finley managed. She frowned, thinking of how Nikolai had questioned Geist about his magic. “But I don’t know what much I can do. I don’t know his past history with absolutely everyone around here, and I don’t even know how soon his new magic will stabilize.”

“I think all we can do is just try our best. I know it sounds corny, but that’s just how it is.” He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them. “Better to take the chance than not take it at all, you know.”

That was when Geist and Revenant approached them. Janne blinked, looking up at Geist. “What’s up, reaper?”

“It turns out,” Geist managed with a frown, “That my order for my suit for the wedding was…delayed.”

“What?” Finley stared. “What do you mean, it got delayed?”

“The manager told me that _somehow_ my order for a suit to wear to the wedding got mixed up with someone else’s order. They got theirs early as a result, and mine hasn’t even been made yet. We only have a few days to go.” The Exorcist shook his head. “At this rate, I’m not going to have a proper outfit.”

“Do you have a spare tux at home?” Finley asked.

Geist shook his head. “No. Not…not really. The clothes I wore when I first met you was the newest outfit I had.”

“We can help you find an outfit off the rack or something.” Janne shrugged. “Or…wait.” He snapped his fingers once. “Maybe Kamiizumi might be able to ask the former Grand Marshall. After all, they’re friends. And the former Grand Marshall does all that tailoring, right?”

“Fair point. We can ask him.”

“Wait, what?” Finley stared up at Geist. “Former Grand Marshall?”

“Yeah. Edea’s father.” Janne shrugged. “He and his wife retired to the Yulyana Woods, but I’m pretty sure we can grab an airship and fly on over.”

“We can just get an airship like that?” finley couldn’t help but still stare at him at that remark. “Legally, I presume?”

“Of course we’re doing this legally.” Geist sighed. “Janne, how soon do you think we can procure an airship?”

“I can run ahead to Central Command and meet you there.” Janne offered. “Maybe I can get Kamiizumi to put in a word for you or something.”

Geist nodded, before looking towards Revenant. “Want to go with Janne, Rev? I’m sure the Grand Marshall wouldn’t mind you visiting.”

 _“Okay, Daddy!”_ With that, Revenant and Janne left together. Finley watched the large suit of armor walk with the much-shorter Janne Balestra, before looking towards Geist. He slumped onto the bench beside her with a sigh, and swallowed.

“Are you okay?” Finley asked him.

“No. It’s just…A lot of people don’t exactly like me for good reason.” Geist managed, shaking his head. “So it…hinders me, at times.”

“You mean, people don’t even treat you like a regular customer?” Finley’s brows furrowed at that. “Okay, that’s just straight-up horrible. I get people being mad at you for what you did back then, whatever it was, but…”

“That’s why I went all the way to your city for a while. At least, part of the reason.” He bit his lower lip briefly, before looking towards Finley. He looked like the life was suddenly drained from him. “If no one knew me, they’d have to treat me like a regular person. And you, Janne, and Kamiizumi are probably the only people that do. I’m still surprised that I was asked to be a guest for the wedding.”

She paused, thinking of how Janne described his past of fighting with Yew. “Did you also fight Yew before?”

“Him and his friends, yes. Including the person who is now the current Grand Marshall of Eternia, Edea Lee.”

Oh. Well. Being on the opposite side of the person that ruled this area probably wasn’t going to help the situation. Finley took a deep breath, before speaking. “Well…maybe Yew wanted to invite you to the wedding as a way of forgiving you for what you’ve done. Extend some peace and all.”

“I think that was the main reason. Also, Janne is friends with me, so that probably helped.”

Finley had a feeling that when Geist told her that people were scared of him, way back when they first started working together, he really meant it. And the way Nikolai questioned him, as well as how the others acted around him here in Luxendarc, only seemed to cement that more.

Before Geist could say anything else, his phone rang and he had to answer it. “Hello?”

“We got an airship!” Janne spoke up from the phone. “Meet me and Rev at Central Command, ‘kay? It’ll be ready for us to use in fifteen minutes.”

“Thank you!”

“Also, Kamiizumi’s coming with us. He mentioned something about needing to get fittings for his own attire for the wedding.’

“That’s fine. Thanks for letting me know.” Geist hung up, and Finley couldn’t help but grin.

“Looks like the former Grand Marshall still likes you, at least! I’m glad that he’s willing to help.”

Geist nodded, putting his phone away. “I’m glad, too. Let’s get going.”

Geist was silent as he and Finley made their way to Central Command in order to make it to the airship and head to Yulyana Woods. Finley could only hope that he really was okay. He seemed to be uncomfortable talking in depth about his past. Even with what she knew about him, she had a feeling that there was more. The question was…would he be open to talking to her about that? He’d only known her for a few weeks at this point. Finley knew, from her interactions with fellow cowokers like Mason and Hayes, that it could take a while to open up.

She couldn’t help but wonder if he was hiding something for her sake. For everyone’s sakes. And would any of this even affect his newfound magic? Who knows?

She pushed the worries to the back of her mind. Right now, they had to find some new outfits, and no one was about to stop that from happening!


	14. Fittings and Fears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geist, Finley and Kamiizumi rush over to the Yulyana Woods to get some last-minute outfit fittings for the upcoming wedding. Finley gets to know Kamiizumi and have a small heart-to-heart with him about Geist.

It didn’t take long to get onto the airship and on the way to Yulyana Woods. It was a woodsy area, which made sense given the name of the place, and there was a small house that was carved out from a tree. Finley stared up at it in wonder. The tree that the house was carved from looked certainly worn and old, but sturdy.

There were two people that were clearly aging, but they still looked pretty good for said older ages. Braev Lee and Mahzer Lee, the parents of current Grand Marshall Edea Lee, lived in this place. Apparently an even older, more powerful being named Sage Yulyana used to live here, but he’d left, and so Braev and Mahzer decided to use the place as both their retirement home and a place to take up sewing, knitting, and everything involving clothes. Kamiizumi knew Braev and Mahzer well from when they were children, so it wasn’t hard for the Swordmaster to persuade Braev to make some outfits for Geist and Finley for the upcoming wedding. Braev had also been in the middle of making Kamiizumi’s outfit, and it was ready to try on. While Finley and Geist got measurements taken by Braev and got to give a few ideas of what they wanted to wear, Kamiizumi got changed into his new attire for fitting.

It was only within an hour or two that Finley got to try on her dress, for fitting’s sakes. (Apparently Braev Lee was really fast at sewing.) It was black and burgundy, and it wasn’t complete, but at least she knew the dress fit her. It would get some more detail by the day of the wedding, Mahzer reassured her. As Finley finished changing back to her usual clothes, she stepped out of the changeroom and into the main foyer of the house/tailor shop?, noticing the corkboard with papers pinned to it. Two of the papers were clearly wedding invitations from Magnolia and Yew, and Finley guessed that Braev and Mahzer were also attending the wedding.

She heard a cough, and she turned to see Kamiizumi standing a few paces away, looking towards her with a sheepish expression.

“If you don’t mind me asking…how do I look?”

Finley noticed that Kamiizumi wasn’t wearing his kimono. Instead, he wore a long jacket with green and blue tones (more blue than green) that flowed down to the ankles, with black pants and a white shirt underneath. The sleeves of the jacket were a bit wide and drapey, kind-of like his usual kimono, but they were also embroidered on the sleeves. As he turned around entirely, Finley noticed that the embroidery was floral, and also showed on the back of the coat.

“I know it’s a bit out there, but I thought it was worth trying.” He looked down at his attire, and then up at Finley. “I know nothing about fashion, but Mahzer told me that this looks okay.”

“I agree with her. You look really good.” Finley eyed him up and down, nodding. “I think you would be _fabulous_ if you wore that to the wedding.”

“Hopefully not too fabulous. I don’t want to outshine Magnolia or Yew on their big day.” A chuckle left him, before he looked behind where he came from. “Geist is still getting changed, but he should be out in a minute.”

“Cool.” She leaned back, observing him. Maybe this would be a good time to get to know the Swordmaster. “Speaking of Geist, how long have you known him for? Just curious.”

“A while.” Kamiizumi paused, before looking up at her. “I’ve only known him for a couple of months, to be honest. He and I became friends partially because we both are fathers. I only recently adopted Minette after the conflict with the Grantz Empire ended, and Geist virtually took care of her alongside the rest of the Grantz Empire before then, so it made sense to talk to him for help. We bonded from there.”

“He must think well of you, given that he kept in touch with you after he left Luxendarc.” She remarked.

“I’m sure he does. I know he doesn’t have many friends, and I’m willing to lend a hand for him.” Kamiizumi frowned lightly, shaking his head. “I feel bad for him, honestly. I’m glad that you met him. Geist…doesn’t have a lot of close friends at all. He had his allies in the Grantz Empire, but since everyone went on their own ways, I could tell that he seemed lost. I wasn’t surprised when he left Luxendarc, given everything.”

“He told me that people don’t like him much over here because of his magic and other things he did.”

“That’s a fair statement.” The Swordmaster sighed. “Honestly, I do admit that he has his sadistic tendencies. He’s working on not straight-up murdering people, which I appreciate. But I sympathize with him. I know what it’s like to be scrutinized and not given a chance to do better than what you once did.”

“Really? How?”

“I used to command Eternia’s highest military forces, the Black Blades, several years ago. We assisted the Swordbearers in a civil war in Eisen; the Anti-Crystalist side.”

“Ohhh wait.” Finley swallowed. “Anti-Crystalist? So that would’ve been against the Crystalist church and stuff, right?”

He nodded. “Exactly. Many terrible things happened during that war that I could dive into detail about, but perhaps that’s better saved for later. Either way, when the war ended, I…had to take time to myself and literally separate myself from everyone, to get on the right track.”

She raised a brow. “How long did that take?”

He shrugged. “Three years.”

“Oof.” She grimaced at that. “No offense, but…that seems kinda extreme.”

“Perhaps it was.” A chuckle left him at that, nodding once. “What I’m trying to put across is that trying to change, and others accepting those changes, will take time. I don’t know how long, but it took a _lot_ of time in my case and I think that’ll be the same for Geist. Granted, it _did_ help that I tried to help Edea, Yew, Magnolia and Tiz when they were trying to save the then-current-Pope Agnes from the Grantz Empire to an extent, but I’m more than sure that there are still people that don’t forgive me for what I did. But at least they were less than before…or so I hope. I think that’s what Geist is going through right now – he’s trying to change for the better, but the fact that others won’t accept that makes it difficult.”

That seemed to make a lot of sense, now. It explained why Geist was so scared of exposing his own powers to Finley herself, when she first witnessed him in action, as well as how he hadn’t just straight-up eradicated anyone until encountering Nacht, and even then it was a last-ditch effort as necessary. And the way Nikolai spoke to Geist, as well as how everyone else seemed to act around the Exorcist, certainly didn’t help him.

“He’s…got a lot of enemies, doesn’t he? Even with his own former allies?”

“Yeah.” A sigh left Kamiizumi. “There’s only so much we can do. But the best we can do is be there for him. If anything, I think you’ve helped him a great deal so far.”

“Really? You think so?” Finley never thought of herself as some great leader for anyone. Sure, she was a social media personality for A Cat’s Paw right now, and also advocating more these days for supporting those being cyberbullied and preventing cyberbullying, but to help Geist?

“Yes.” Kamiizumi made eye contact with her, and she couldn’t make herself look away. “You’re a light among the darkness for him, Finley. And I don’t know how much I can stress enough how much of a help that is to him.”

Finley had to take a moment to just process all of that. Was she really that sort of thing for Geist? A light? By being his friend? She remembered seeing him sitting alone in the café, keeping to himself and alone. And he had opened up a lot during these past two weeks, that was true. But he’d also kept her safe. Stuck up for her when she needed help and was willing to support and listen to her, too.

“I think…” She took a deep breath, smiling lightly. “I think he’s been a light to my darkness, too.”

Kamiizumi smiled at that. “Good. I’m glad to hear that.”

There was a brief moment of silence, and then someone cleared their throat. “Sorry to interrupt, but can I show off my outfit now?”

“What?” Kamiizum turned to see none other than Geist standing there in the doorway. “Geist?” The Swordmaster seemed both shocked and, perhaps, embarrassed to be heard. “How much ddi you hear that?”

“The whole thing.” Geist managed, chuckling a bit. Finley noticed him smile. “I was done changing since minutes ago, but I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“And so you eavesdropped on everything.” Finley managed. She took a good look at his outfit – black clothing, with the beginning of embroidery at the shoulders of his coat as she kept speaking. “Well…I hope it was helpful?”

“It was. And I appreciate both of you very much.” Geist smiled at both of them, before he looked towards Kamiizumi. “How soon is the wedding rehearsal, anyway?”

“Er…” Kamiizumi faltered, “Well, it’s tomorrow. It’s not a dress rehearsal, but…”

The Exorcist raised a brow, his smile vanishing. “What? Tomorrow? I was told it was the day after.”

He grimaced. “Plans changed. I assume that Nikolai let everyone know, but…”

“Of _course_ he left me out.” Geist hissed, shaking his head. “I’m glad that we’re getting the outfits figured out now, then.”

Finley gave Geist a pat on the arm. “Hey, it’s okay. At least we found out now than too late, right?”

“Well…” Geist paused, looking towards her, then sighed. “I suppose so.”

Finley knew that she and Geist shouldn’t have too much to worry about. Sure, he apparently had unstable magic and he wasn’t on great terms with Nikolai, who was in the wedding party, but at least the magic hadn’t done anything weird, right?

It was only then that she noticed that some of the papers pinned to the corkboard on the wall had curled upwards.

They were flat a few minutes ago.

Finley decided to not think too much about that. She doubted panicking over it would help, but…she couldn’t help but be a bit worried.


	15. The Wedding Dinner Disaster

Today was the day of the wedding rehearsal.

And Geist was nervous. He’d accidentally folded several papers into stars, then into hearts, and then he folded a paper sign into a dove. It would be more impressive if he wasn’t folding it out of placecards for tables being set up for the wedding, by accident.

Nikolai hadn’t been too happy about it, but Geist was able to just ‘undo’ all the folding as if it never happened before anyone else saw it.

“I thought you said that you were getting it under control?” Nikolai questioned.

Geist frowned, looking up at the Bishop. It was almost time for the rehearsal dinner at this point, as everything else had went smoothly save for the couple of folding incidents so far. “I’ve only had this ability for a few days, Nikolai. You can’t expect anyone to master any magic so fast.”

“If you knew your ability was unstable, why did you come back so soon?”

The Exorcist raised a brow. “What do you mean? I had to come back to pick up Rev. I mean, I’m invited. Thouhg…” He frowned, looking Nikolai in the eye, “I was lucky to find out from Kamiizumi that the rehearsal dinner was today, and not tomorrow. Were you trying to leave me out of the wedding?”

“In all honesty, it would be smoother if you weren’t here.” That was Nikolai’s bitter reply. “Unstable magic or no.”

The Exorcist felt his jaw clench at that, but he couldn’t say anything before he overheard Janne and Yew calling them to come over for the rehearsal dinner.

* * *

Finley had noticed Geist’s couple of folding accidents with the sign and stuff, but otherwise this paper magic didn’t seem too bad. How the hell Nacht had used it for evil before, she had no idea. Sure, one could get some paper cuts, but it didn’t seem too bad otherwise. Right?

She remembered Graves’ warning about Geist’s own corruption affecting the new paper magic he had, and she wondered: How fast would that work? She, Geist and Revenant had a table to themselves. Geist had accidentally folded the napkins a few times with his magic, but he quick ‘undid’ them. Revenant just straight-up thought that the paper magic was cool, but Geist seemed more embarrassed than grateful that at least someone appreciated it.

Janne was practicing his best man speech, with Nikolai watching. Some of the other rehearsal guests were also watching, and Finley noticed Kamiizumi and Minette sitting at a nearby table. There were two spots reserved at that table, too, presumably for Braev and Mahzer since they were friends with Kamiizumi as is. Other than the couple of folding incidents, though, Finley was pretty sure that Geist had most of his newfound magic under control.

Then again, did he really have it all under control?

“Hey, Geist?”

“Hm?” He looked up at her after ‘undoing’ a paper napking from folding itself into a butterfly. “Yes?”

“Are you okay?” She asked, keeping her voice low. “How’s the paper magic holding up?”

“It’s okay.” He muttered, looking down at his hands, and then up at her. “Nikolai’s already upset, though.”

“Ugh, forget him.” She dismissed, shaking her head. “It’s not _his_ wedding.”

She saw him smile, and a soft chuckle left him. “That’s fair.”

She heard the shifting of something folding, and she noticed the napking on the plate beside herself fold itself into a bow. She noticed its precise folds, before looking up at Geist. “Do you think it might be...guided by your emotions?”

“My emotions?” He looked at the paper bow, then up at her, frowning lightly. “A lot of magic is guided by emotion. Feelings that are positive, or negative…Exorcism cleanses, eradicates. Paper…”

“Seems to bring some joy.” She managed. “Maybe the reason it’s unstable is because you’re nervous.”

“Is this something you generally observed with your magic and are now applying to my own, or is this a guess?”

“More of a guess.” She confessed. “But I don’t think being so worried about it is going to help it stabilize.”

“That’s fair.” He looked down at the bow, before whispering ‘undo’ to make it unfold and go back to normal. “

“Still having issues?” Geist looked up to see none other than Nikolai, who just happened to be passing by their table.

The Exorcist frowned, shaking his head. “I’d have less issues if you weren’t constantly hovering over me.”

“Forgive my ‘constant hovering,’ but I think it’s necessary. I hope I don’t have to repeat that for good measure.”

“Why?” The Exorcist had more than enough of this at this point. “Because you think I’m dangerous?”

Finley noticed her tablecloth start to fold at the edges, only to stop. She swallowed. “Geist…” She started, looking up at the Exorcist, but it was clear that he was more than too pissed off at this point.

“Because you think I’m just some cruel monster?” Geist spat. The tablecloth at the bridge and groom’s table started shifting. Yew and Magnolia, seated at the table with Janne (who had just sat down after finishing rehearsing his speech) and a couple other people just stood up from their seats, startled by the now-moving paper tablecloth. “because you think I’m just a _freak?”_

“Geist -!” Finley tried to warn, but Geist shook his head, grabbing Nikolai by the collar as he stood up from his chair.

“I’ve had _enough_ of being mistreated by you!” He looked Nikolai in the eyes, daring to make complete contact with them. “So how about you leave me alone!?”

The napkin tablecloth at the head table of the bridge and groom suddenly folded and morphed. The plates of food that were on it slid off, hitting the ground and breaking with several small crashes as the tablecloth morphed into spikes, sharp and ready to cut. Magnolia and Yew both let out shrieks of surprise and fear, with Magnolia barely pulling Yew out of the time before one spike could pierce his head. Another spike almost hit Janne, but he also managed to dodge.

Either way, the damage was done.

* * *

Geist stared at the pointed tablecloth, then up at Yew, Magnolia, Janne, Nikolai, and the rest of the wedding party that turned to face him.

Geist swallowed. He’d screwed up. Everyone else was just having a _great_ time before he snapped at Nikolai, he let petty emotions get the better of him along with the magic just not working, and now…

 _Unstable…a freak…_ He felt his grip loosen on Nikolai’s collar, as he took a step back. Surely he had to rectify this. He’d done enough wrong as is.

How much more wrong could he do if he stayed here? Was this what he’d end up doing? Making all these mistakes even if he didn’t want to? Even if he was trying to defend what little dignity he had left?

“I…I’m sorry. I…” He started, but he saw Nikolai sigh, shaking his head.

“For good measure,” The Bishop nearly snapped, looking Geist in the eye as he tore himself away from Geist’s grip entirely, “Get out. Now.”

Geist stared down at his own hands, then up at the others, before fleeing the banquet hall.

“Geist? Wait!” That was Kamiizumi yelling, but Geist didn’t listen. He heard Revenant yell for him, too, but Geist couldn’t stop. Not even for his son.

He wasn’t sure how far he ran, but the last thing he remembered was smelling the sea air before he felt someone else hit him hard on the head, enough for him to see stars. Geist remembered crumpling to the ground, trying to get up, but another blow to his temple left him out cold.

* * *

Finley watched Geist run off, even as Kamiizumi and Revenant both yelled for Geist to come back. She, too, was about to yell, but that was when she heard someone speak up.

“What the hell, Nikolai!?” It was Janne. As she turned to face the Blazing Wolf, it was clear that he was absolutely pissed, glaring up at the Bishop.

Nikolai’s gaze snapped towards Janne, a harsh sigh leaving his lips. “You saw it all just now. He could have seriously injured Yew and Magnolia! If that happened during the actual wedding tomorrow…”

“Well, this is only the dress rehearsal.” Yew’s voice came out shaky as he shook his head. “I-I’m sure they’ll have it handled by tomorrow.”

Nikolai shook his head, looking towards Yew. “He’s had his magic for literally less than a week. You and I know well that magic can take years to master, and he knows that well himself as is.”

“But..”

“You know how _unstable_ he is, Yew. All of us do.” Nikolai stressed. “I told you from the start that we shouldn’t have invited him to the wedding, and now he’s proved why!”

Finley couldn’t take it anymore. With a deep breath, she marched over to Nikolai Nikolanikov and punched him in the face as hard as she could. Gasps and yelps of shock left the rest of the wedding party’s throats, but Finley didn’t care at all in the moment.

Nikolai actually stumbled back, half-not-expecting her to ever do such a thing to him. As he looked up at her with wide eyes and a mixture of frustration and confusion, Finley just glared daggers at him as best as she could.

 _“This_ is the reason Geist ran outta here in the first place!” She snapped. “Because all of you,” She gestured to everyone, “See him like he’s a monster! And he’s _not!”_

Yew visibly flinched. Janne could only sigh and shake his head, and

“Do you have any idea what he’s done in the past with his powers, even without the paper magic?” Nikolai’s voice was stern as he stared her down. “He’s interrogated and tortured countless people before. I’ve worked with him. I _know_ his sadism.”

“Maybe you don’t know him well enough, then. _You_ pushed his buttons to the point that he snapped at you in the first place.” She quipped, raising a brow. “Because I know that he _regrets_ what he did back then. He initially hid his exorcism from me and the rest of my coworkers when I first met him and worked with him. Why? Because he didn’t want us seeing him like he’s _something to be afraid of all the time,_ because he had his magic on top of all that he did. And sure, he’s a sadist. But he freakin’ saved _my_ life with _his_ magic when it came down to the wire. He’s _so_ much more than just some sadistic person. He’s a friend, someone who’s _trying_ to make things right, and _none of you_ are giving him a chance to accept that he’s working on it!”

Everyone else went silent, stunned. Even Nikolai looked shocked. Finley could only sigh, and turned to face Kamiizumi – only to realize that the Swordmaster had run off after Geist during the earlier conversation. A sigh left her, and she looked towards Revenant.

“Hey Rev?”

 _“Yeah?”_ Revenant looked up at Finley. _“What is it?”_

“We’re gonna find your dad.” Finley offered him her hand. “Wanna join me?”

_“Yeah! Let’s find Daddy!”_

And with that, Revenant and Finley abandoned the rest of the group to find Geist Grace.

* * *

Finley had to remind herself that Revenant’s body was a suit of armor as he took her hand in his. Given that he was taller than her and basically metal, given that his soul was stuck to said suit of armor, she knew that she didn’t need to shiver. The way Revenant ended up dragging her off reminded him of how a child might lead their parent somewhere.

Then again, Revenant Grace had been a child when he died. Probably would be for the rest of his undead-ish life. However, Finley was sure that Geist might be a bit better if he saw his son first, as opposed to, say, Nikolai or someone else. It was clear that the Exorcist loved his son very much, after all.

“Revenant? Finley?” It was Minette’s that called, and Finley turned to see Minette and Kamiizumi run over to them. Finley guessed that Minette must have went with Kamiizumi earlier to run after Geist and check on him. “Have mew seen Geist?”

“Geist? No.” Finley shook her head. “Revenant and I just started looking for Geist after I yelled at Nikolai for good measure.”

Kamiizumi swallowed, looking around. “Minette and I have been trying to find Geist, but…we lost him.”

“Maybe we should stick together.” Finley managed, looking him in the eye. “The four of us working together will maybe help find him faster.”

Before anyone else could speak up, that was when Finley’s cellphone rang. She blinked, quickly answering it. “Geist?”

 _“No, it’s Avery.”_ Finley heard Avery’s voice crack. _“I know this is really bad timing, Finley, and I hope you’re okay, but…we just found out that Nacht isn’t in town.”_

“What?”

Avery sounded tense, worried _. “Reese mentioned that he saw Nacht heading on a ship towards Luxendarc. I don’t know if it’s heading to the exact same area that you and Geist are in, but still. Graves said that he’d come all the way to Gathelatio to check in on you and Geist, but he told me to tell you two to look out for each other in case Nacht literally followed you two here.”_

“You mean Nacht is _in Gathelatio!?”_ Finley’s jaw dropped. _Oh no. Oh no no no. This can’t be good. Is he trying to get revenge!?_

 _“Possibly. We don’t know for sure, Reese is…”_ There was a pause, and Finley overheard Reese’s voice say something that she couldn’t make out. She heard Avery sigh, before speaking up again. _“Okay, Reese just confirmed that Nacht was on a boat specifically headed for Gathelatio. You and Geist needs to be careful if he runs into the two of you. Graves will be there as soon as he can, but I don’t know how soon!”_

“What?” Her blood grew cold at that. She and Geist barely saved themselves last time Nacht encountered them. If he ran into Geist alone, even without his magic… “I need to go tell Geist. Avery, I _promise_ I’ll be careful. I love you!”

_“I love you too! Stay safe!”_

“Gotta go! Talk to you as soon as I can.” With that, Finley hung up. As she put her phone away, she noticed the other three observing her, all of them unsure of what to say. “We gotta find Geist as fast as we can. I think he might be in danger.”

“I overheard your call. Nacht…he’s the one that Geist took his power from, right?” That was Kamiizumi who asked. He looked mildly disturbed, shaking his head lightly. “I imagine he came after both of you to get his power back. And to get revenge.”

“Probably.” Either way, they had to find Geist before it was too late.

* * *

Finley, Kamiizumi, Minette and Revenant’s searching took them to the port of Gathelatio. In the near distance lay a very unconscious Exorcist, down on the ground. Finley didn’t hesitate to run to him, getting down on a knee to check on him. He was still breathing, but his eyes were closed.

_What happened? Did he get hurt?_

_Was it Nacht?_

“Geist!” Finley shook Geist, trying to wake him up. “Come on, _talk_ to me! Are you okay? Geist?”

A groan left the Exorcist’s lips, and his eyes fluttered open to look at Finley. “Finley…?”

A relieved sigh left her. “Thank goodness, you’re alive! I thought you were…”

“Well, I’m alive.” Geist sat up, before feeling over his chest with both hands. He frowned, before putting his hand into the open collar of his shirt, and his eyes widened. “Oh no.”

“What?” She tried to examine him further, but it was hard to see what exactly he panicked about. “What is it?”

He looked up at her, paling slightly. “My Asterisk. It’s _gone!”_

“What!?” Finley looked around, trying to find the familiar small gem that was usually hanging on a necklace around Geist’s neck, but it was definitely not on the ground nearby. “Oh no. That’s…that’s not good, is it?”

A familiar, cold laugh made Finley shiver, and she turned to see the source of the new voice as it spoke.

“Perhaps not so good for _you,_ kitten.”

Finley’s jaw clenched as she faced a too-familiar foe as he stepped out from behind one of the boats docked at the port.

“Nacht.” She couldn’t help but snap at him. She was already frustrated enough from how everyone reacted to Geist’s magic, and at the news that Nacht was likely in Gathelatio, but…to see her old enemy again did nothing to help the matter. “Did you take his asterisk?”

“He took my magic from me.” The other raised a brow, a smirk perfectly placed on his face. “Might as well take something from him in return, hm?”

Kamiizumi tensed, putting a hand to the sheath of his katana. “You underestimate the use of asterisks.” He spoke, looking the other man in the eye. “Do you even know how it works?”

“Oh, I think I can figure it out just fine, from seeing the original wielder in action.” He smirked, before looking Kamiizumi in the eye. _“You’ve_ got an asterisk, don’t ya? How ‘bout you trade it in exchange for your friend’s?”

“I don’t think you’d do a very good job at using it.” Kamiizumi took out his katana, frowning. “I’m taking Geist’s asterisk back.”

“What?” Finley’s gaze snapped towards Kamiizumi as she heard him speak up, noticing him taking out his sword. “No! Nacht is…”

“Inexperienced in using an asterisk. I’ll be fine.” He looked towards Finley, Geist, Revenant and Minette. “Revenant, get your father out of here, okay?”

“But,” Geist got up with Finley and Revenant’s help, “Tsuna–”

“Go! Now!” Kamiizumi insisted, before running at Nacht.

“We gotta go.” Finley grabbed Geist by the arm, dragging him off. “We can’t just stand here!”

“We can’t just leave him!” Geist protested, trying to resist her dragging him off. Kamiizumi and Nacht were already facing each other off, Nacht taking out his baseball bat and pointing it at the Swordmaster. Kamiizumi paused, before rushing at him with his own katana. Both of them used their weapons like swords. As Nacht swung at him, Kamiizumi sidestepped it, only to counter. Nacht managed to block the blow, but jabbed at him with his bat. Finley was just glad that Nacht didn’t have rust magic on him, or else Kamiizumi would definitely be screwed right now.

“What are we supposed to do?” Finley managed, looking up at Geist. “Seal Nacht’s magic away? Steal the asterisk back from him?”

“That latter plan sounds wise, but…” Geist looked towards Mientte and Revenant, noticing their worried expressions. “Can the both of you go get Janne and the others over here in case? We might need backup.”

 _“Will you be okay?”_ Revenant asked.

Geist nodded, looking his son in the eye. “Yes. Now go, Rev. You and Minette. Now!”

With that, Revenant and Minette ran into the night, heading to find Janne and the others as fast as they could. Geist took a deep breath, looking towards the still-fighting Kamiizumi and Nacht. Despite Kamiizumi’s experience as a swordsman, managing to get a few hits in on Nacht, Finley noticed Nacht mouthing the word _“Undo.”_ The wounds immediately healed, appearing as if they never happened.

“Curses.” Geist grimaced, shaking his head. “Looks like Nacht actually has an idea of how my magic works.”

“Does he know _everything?”_ Finley asked.

“I doubt it. He’s only had the asterisk for a couple of minutes, and…well, the less time he has it, the better.” He paused, before looking down at his hands, and then up at then up at Finley, “Finley, do you have any paper on you? Any at all? I can use my magic against him.”

She nodded. “I got a spare notebook, can I rip out a few pages?”

“Yes! Now!”

* * *

As Finley took out her notebook and ripped out a few of the final pages, Geist took them from her. He took a deep breath, looking down at the paper, and then up towards where Nacht and Kamiizumi were still fighting.

_How can I use paper to help Tsuna? Maybe…a distraction?_

It was better than nothing. Geist took a deep breath, hoped that the paper magic would work with him this time, and rushed at Nacht. He felt the paper shift in his hands, and let out a yell to get Nacht’s attention. As the other man turned, baseball bat at the ready, Geist threw one sheet of paper at him – just as he realized that the paper morphed itself into a star, like one of those that a ninja would throw.

The paper star struck Nacht on the cheek, startling the other man.

“What the!?” He put a spare hand to his cheek, feeling the blood trickle from the cut, but Kamiizumi used the time to hit Nacht in the back of the head with the blunt edge of his sword. Nacht groaned, stumbling, but he turned, swinging his bat. It hit Kamiizumi in the side hard, and the Swordmaster grimaced, stumbling back a few paces.

Geist took the time to throw even more paper stars at Nacht. The longer he could keep Nacht distracted, the more opportunities he had for Kamiizumi to straight-up knock out Nacht, right?

_“Undo!”_

The paper stars undid themselves before they could hit Nacht, and Geist hissed, glaring back at Nacht. _“Undo!”_ He yelled back.

The paper stars reformed themselves on the ground and returned themselves to Geist.

“What!?” Nacht shrieked. “You can _undo_ an undo!?”

“Yes.” Geist smiled back at him, despite the grave fight going on between them. “Surprise.”

“Wait, you can do that!?” Finley gasped, staring up at Geist. “Can you, I don’t know, undo an undo that already undid something?”

The Exorcist could only sigh. “There are limits, but… _technically_ yes. It’s complicated.”

Both of them overheard Kamiizumi let out a yelp, and Geist turned to see Kamiizumi on the ground, katana flying out of his hands and into the water with a splash. Nacht hit Kamiizumi hard in the side with his baseball bat before he could get up, and the Swordmaster crumpled to the ground again. Geist was about to yell ‘undo’ to get the katana out of the water, but that was when Nacht’s gaze turned towards Geist, glaring.

“Don’t take another step closer. Or else I’ll _‘eradicate’_ your friend.”

Geist swallowed. Did Nacht already have an idea of how the eradication spell worked? This was bad. If he was experienced enough… _but he shouldn’t be. He’s only had it for a couple of minutes, right?_

Then again, Nacht was dangerously powerful with the magic he previously. And if he already was corrupted as is from stealing and trying to use Graves’ magic, how much more dangerous would he be wielding _Geist’s_ magic?

“You want to kill me?” Kamiizumi spat back at Nacht. “Then go ahead and try! Even if you kill me, I trust that Geist will bring me back.”

Nacht’s grin grew sharp, just as he turned to face Kamiizumi. “We’ll see about that.”

“No!” Geist yelled, but that was when Nacht extended his hand towards Kamiizumi and yelled.

**_“Eradication!”_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, fellow readers! I have a few things to say.
> 
> Firstly, THANK YOU for reading and supporting this fic so far. This has been a super-fun crossover to create and share with all of you, and I hope you've had as much fun reading it as I have with writing it. 
> 
> Secondly, there won't be an update for this fic next week, due to it being Christmas. HOWEVER, updates will resume starting in the New Year (in fact, on January 1st, 2021!), so stay tuned for the remaining chapters! 
> 
> Thank you for your patience, and once again, thank you for reading this fic. I also wish all of you celebrating a Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays!


	16. Demands and Resolutions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter, Nacht tried to kill Kamiizumi during the fight. But did he succeed?

Finley expected blood to seep out of Kamiizumi’s body entirely, just like how Nacht died. She expected the Swordmaster to collapse to the ground and bleed out, dying in seconds.

But that didn’t happen.

Not at all.

Kamiizumi looked down at himself once, then up at Nacht, raising a brow. “How about you try that again?” He sounded almost amused, and he tried not to smile. “I don’t think there was enough effort.”

“What?” Nacht’s eyes widened, and he gritted his teeth, looking down at his hands. He then looked up at Kamiizumi, extending his hand towards him. “Eradication.”

Still nothing.

_“Eradication!”_

Again, nothing. Finley noticed Geist heave a relieved sigh at that.

Nacht cursed, throwing his baseball bat to the ground in a fit, grinding his teeth as he glared up at Kamiizumi. “Why isn’t it working!?”

“Because you’re not skilled enough.”

The new voice was too familiar to Finley, and she turned to see none other than Graves standing by her and Geist’s sides.

“Graves!?” Geist gasped, slightly startled.

Graves offered him a light smile, before looking towards Finley. “Thank you for being careful, Finley and Geist. Though I believe I’ll finish things now.”

“You.” Nacht snarled, turning entirely to face Graves. “I _knew_ you’d come back.”

“I didn’t come here for you.” Graves’ voice darkened, and he took a step forwards, looking Nacht in the eye. “I came for them.”

Before anyone could do a thing, Graves was suddenly ran at Nacht, tackling him down to the ground. The most powerful witch from the city put a now-glowing hand to Nacht’s throat as the other man struggled beneath him, trying to get away.

“What are you doing!?” Finley yelled.

She saw Graves smile, just slightly, just before light flashed before her eyes. “Taking Avery’s suggestion.”

* * *

A flash of light forced Finley to cover her eyes. She heard Geist sneeze, probably due to his inability to look away in time beforehand.

Wait… _sneeze?_ Did that mean…

Finley uncovered her eyes as the light faded. Graves was getting up, but at his feet, where Nacht used to be, was a cat. A plain cat, with dark brown fur.

“You…” Kamiizumi started, just as Graves smiled up at him.

“You’re welcome.” Graves picked up the Asterisk on the ground beside Nacht, before first offering it to Geist. “Geist, I believe this is yours.”

“What?” The now-feline Nacht looked down at himself, as well as he could, before hissing up at Graves. “What _is_ this!?”

Geist quickly took it from Graves with a quick “Thanks” just before Graves grabbed Nacht by the scruff of his neck, lifting him to meet him at eye-level.

“I have a list of demands.” Graves stated, looking Nacht in the eye. If Finley hadn’t known that the cat Graves held now was Nacht, she would find this more hilarious than it was right now. “If you do not meet them, you’ll remain like this for the rest of your miserable existence.”

Nacht hissed at him, but didn’t say anything. Graves sighed, before starting to speak. “First, you will never steal _anything_ from _any_ magic user ever again. You will never take their magic, nor anything that is a boon to their abilities. If you want that power so badly, you can find a way to harness it yourself without resorting to such means.”

Nacht looked like he was pouting, in Finley’s opinion. He was really getting into the part of being a sulky cat, wasn’t he? At least, that was what Finley figured.

“The second condition is that you will leave. You’ll find that once you’re far away enough from me, you’ll regain your human form.” Graves continued, still keeping eye contact with him.

“I didn’t leave nothin’!” Nacht hissed, wriggling in Graves’ grip. _“You_ left!”

“That was the point.” Graves’ voice rose, just slightly, and a sigh left him.

“I wanted t’see you.” Geist heard Nacht mutter, and the Exorcist frowned. Was this why Nacht went after him and Finley in the first place, as well as their friends and coworkers? Because he just wanted to get back with Graves after Graves left him? Geist shuddered at that. _So this was about a stalker ex-boyfriend…_

Graves simply sighed, looking the newly-turned cat in the eye. “I did _not_ want to see you. Now…” He took a deep breath, then managed. “The third and final condition, you must discover for yourself. Once you have, the curse will break.”

Nacht didn’t say a thing. Graves looked Nacht in the eye one more time, before finishing.

“Go.” Graves spoke, before putting Nacht down on the ground. “I don’t want to ever see you again. And if I hear of you wreaking havoc elsewhere, there will be worse consequences than this, Nacht.”

Nacht hissed, but Geist gave him one of his best glares. The once-witch-now-cat hissed at him and the others, before finally scampering off, into the closest alley and, hopefully, never to be seen again.

The Exorcist heard Graves sigh, and he looked up to see Graves’ attention directly towards him and the others. “I apologize for the chaos he must have caused you. But I assure you that with what I’ve done, he won’t be bothering you again.”

“You don’t have to apologize for him.” Geist managed. “If anything, we should be thanking you. You saved our lives _and_ got my Asterisk back.”

“You helped me get my original magic back and ultimately uncurse me.” Graves pointed out, offering him a soft smile. “It was about time I repaid the favor. Now that things should be better from hereon, I believe I should go.”

“Go?” Finley repeated, frowning. “Do you have to leave so soon?”

“I do have the café to run.” Graves noted. “And I’m sure Avery and the others are worried about all three of us. At least one of us should head back and let them know that things will be fine. Besides,” A faint chuckle left him, “I do trust Reese to look after the café, but to skip a day on short notice for a wedding seems a bit much.”

“Then,” Finley took out her phone, “Might as well ask them now, right?”

Before she could even dial Avery, however, she heard footsteps approaching. She turned to see Yew, Magnolia, and the entire rest of the wedding party approach.

“Are you okay?” It was Janne that spoke up, huffing. Clearly he’d been the one leading them. “We heard fighting down by the docks and came as fast as we could.”

“We’re fine.” Geist reassured Janne.

 _“Daddy!”_ Revenant was the first to approach Geist, pulling his father into a hug. Geist hugged him back tightly, relieved to see and hear his son. _“You’re okay!”_

“I’m okay, Rev.” Geist reassured him, smiling. “I got my asterisk back. It’s thanks to Graves, ‘Tsuna and Finley.”

_“That’s good!”_

Minette also scampered over to Kamiizumi, concerned for him, but he reassured her with a pat on the head that he’d be fine. Magnolia noticed Kamiizumi’s worn condition, casting a green light around him. As it faded, Finley noticed that Kamiizumi looked better now. Likely a healing spell, she guessed. “We got rid of my boss’ ex-boyfriend for good. Or rather….my boss got rid of him.”

“Technically not your boss anymore.” Graves gently corrected, before offering the group a pleasant smile. “I apologize for the trouble Nacht has caused to your friends. He won’t be bothering them anymore.”

“Wait, what? Nacht?” Janne frowned. “Geist…you took his magic, right?”

“I did. But…” Geist looked towards the space where Nacht used to be, then up at Janne. “He…kind-of stole my asterisk and we literally fought over it with him.”

“Oh.” Janne grimaced. “That..explains a lot. Sorry we didn’t come sooner.”

“Honestly, I would be more worried if you showed up earlier.” Geist managed, shaking his head. “He would probably wreck half of Gathelatio if he wanted to.”

“That is true.” Graves agreed. As the rest of the group turned to face him, he offered them a soft smile. “Geist has helped me a great deal with handling Nacht, and now you have nothing to worry about.”

Geist shook his head, looking towards Graves. “Don’t’ give me all the credit. You finished him off with that cat-transforming spell.”

“You turned him into a cat?” Janne asked, raising a brow. “Is he just a magic cat, or a regular cat, or…”

“Regular cat.” Graves reassured him. “He can’t hurt anyone in his feline state.”

“Phew.”

As the rest of the wedding party calmed down, realizing that things were now basically fine, one of them spoke up after clearing his throat.

“Geist.” Geist turned to face Nikolai, who approached him. The Bishop looked regretful, given the frown on his face. “I’d like to talk to you privately, if that’s okay?”

“Why don’t you just tell him right here?” Finley snapped, looking towards him, but Geist shook his head.

“It’s fine, Finley. Nikolai and I need to sort this out ourselves.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, okay. But if he does something stupid to you, I’m gonna punch him again.”

Geist stared at her. “You did what?”

“I can confirm that.” Kamiizumi couldn’t help but chuckle, and Geist could only sigh, walking a few paces away from the group with Nikolai, just far enough so they could talk without being overheard easily.

Nikolai turned to face him, taking a deep breath, before speaking again. “I’m sorry.”

Geist raised a brow. “For what?”

“For acting the way I did when your magic went haywire earlier. I was worried for the others’ safety, but I also am aware that I acted…harshly.”

“Harsh is an understatement, but I’m glad you acknowledge that.” Geist crossed his arms, looking him in the eye. “I know that you and I have our differences in how we use and manage our magic, as well as many other things. I’m working on…changing how I use it. And as Finley told me, I’m trying to embrace that. That includes the currently-unstable paper magic I have. I can’t guarantee that I won’t accidentally fold any paper things tomorrow at the wedding, but I’ll do my best. But I can’t do that if others don’t help me and acknowledge that I am changing.”

“I see.” The other man took a deep breath, his gaze softening. “Well, if you need assistance on any of that magic stabilization, let me know. And you’re re-invited to the wedding, by the way. Yew and Magnolia insisted.”

Geist couldn’t help but smile a bit at that. “I’d be delighted to join.”

* * *

While Geist and Nikolai were off talking, Finley found herself swept up in the rest of the group getting to know Graves, who gave them a very-abridged-recap of how he knew about Nacht in the first place.

“I should be heading back to the café,” Graves started, “But I am glad that I got to meet all of you. I think with friends like you, Geist and Finley are in good hands.”

“Since you’re all the way out here and you _did_ help us,” Yew managed, “Maybe you’d like to…stay for the wedding, tomorrow?”

“The wedding?” Graves blinked, before looking down at himself briefly. “I appreciate the invitation, but I’m afraid I’ll need assistance finding a good suit at such short notice if I _am_ attending.”

Finley couldn’t help but grin up at her boss. “Good news: We know someone who can make one!”

“Oh? Who?”

“The former Grand Marshall of Eternia! We could probably get in an extra order for a suit, right?” She looked towards Kamiizumi sheepishly. “Maybe?”

Kamiizumi couldn’t help but sigh. “I think Braev has enough of his work cut out for him as is. Is he going to be okay with making a third new suit ontop of the requests we already gave him earlier? Then again…” He paused, before nodding. “I’m sure might manage making something fast if I ask nicely enough. He once led the Duchy of Eternia, and I’m sure he’s used to making last-minute additions.”

“If that’s the case, then,” Graves smiled up at Magnolia and Yew, “I accept your invitation. Thank you for your hospitality.”

The rest of the night was filled with calling Avery to let them and the others at the café know that they were safe, getting Graves a guest room in Geist’s house to sleep at for the next little while, getting some rest, and just straight-up recovering from what happened with Nacht. Finley went to sleep well that night, knowing that the problems with Nacht were finally resolved for good, and that at least Geist was happier now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, everyone! I hope that 2021 will be a good year to all of you.
> 
> I'll be continuing weekly updates for this fic until completion, so stay tuned for the last few chapters during this month. Thanks for supporting and reading this fic so far!


	17. Practice Makes Perfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finley and Geist, fresh off a fight from Nacht, end up being asked for a last-minute favor.

Because of all the chaos that happened with Nacht and the fact that the port of Gathelatio was in much need for repairs from the fight of last night, the wedding of Magnolia Arch and Yew Geneolgia was now postponed until the next day. Geist was relieved about that.

What was also more relieving was that yes, Reese, Avery and the others back in the city would just watch over the café until Graves and Finley went back after the wedding was over. Given everything, apparently the others figured it was fine that Graves should take a day off from all that fighting with Nacht (despite Graves arguing that he’d only assisting in ending the fight more than anything) and so on.

Geist, Revenant, Graves and Finley were in the middle of breakfast the next morning when the doorbell rang. Geist went to go get the door, wondering who it was as he opened it.

Magnolia Arch stood there, offering Geist a smile. “I know it’s early, but…morning. Do you mind if I come in?”

* * *

Magnolia had dropped by, it appeared, to check in on everyone from last night. After all, from the chaotic wedding dinner rehearsal, to everything that happened with Nacht, everyone needed some time to just straight-up recover while getting ready for the now-moved-to-tomorrow wedding.

“Yew’s been a bit busy re-organizing things for tomorrow, so I figured I’d come on behalf of the both of us. First, we just wanted to say thank you for last night.” Magnolia finished explaining. “With Nacht and all.”

“Well, sorry that he happened to tag along with us all the way here without us noticing.” Finley offered her a sheepish grin. “If it wasn’t for that, we wouldn’t have all that trouble. Anything else?”

“The other reason I came here is…” Magnolia swallowed a little. “We got bad news. Praline A La Mode was supposed to perform as entertainment during the weddnig party, tomorrow, but she just lost her voice and won’t recover in time.”

Geist stared. “What!?” _Oh no. Please don’t tell us that you came here because…_

But it was too late. “I know it’s last-minute, Geist, but could you and Finley help provide some brief entertainment for the banquet?”

“Us?” Geist asked.

Finley stared. “Seriously?”

“Yes.” Magnolia sighed, frowning lightly. “We don’t know who else to get at short notice. Geist, you mentioned that you were good at ballroom dancing, right? Maybe you could show off a bit of that to entertain everyone. Even if it’s just one routine, it could be _something…_ we just need enough time between dessert and speeches and the band being fully set up for entertaining everyone for the rest o the night, after all.”

Geist frowned. “I don’t know. Besides, I need a partner.”

“I can be your partner.” Finley offered, raising a hand as he looked towards her. “You’re super-experienced in ballroom dancing, right? You can just teach me!”

Geist stared at her. “Are you absolutely _sure_ you want to try that?”

She nodded once. “Yeah. If you don’t mind, that is.”

“Well…” He paused, thinking. He _supposed_ he could give Finley a cram session in dancing. Choreograph a short number and teach her the choreography and the technique to go with it. He’d keep it simple, he decided. He didn’t know if Finley was a natural mover, and given the last-minute situation, it was for the best.

“Very well.” He relented, looking her in the eye. “But I’ll be a strict teacher, so please don’t let me down.”

“I won’t!” Her eyes sparkled as she nodded, smiling wide. “Leave it to me!”

Magnolia chuckled a bit. “Sorry to put you both on the spot like this, but we really appreciate it. I’ll let her know that both of you will perform that dance routine. I’m sure we can hire a backup band to accompany your dancing.”

Graves hummed a little, finishing his cup of coffee. “I believe that the dancing would require music as accompaniment. Is that not so?”

“Good point, Graves.” Geist nodded. “I can think of a few pieces, but…”

That was when Finley’s cellphone went off, playing the brief tune of a specific song. Geist jumped a bit in his seat, startled, and Finley’s face flushed as she reached for her cellphone.

“Sorry, sorry! Just a text from Avery.” A sheepish chuckle escaped her as she quickly typed a reply on the phone.

That’s when it hit Geist. That song. Maybe…

“That.” He pointed at her phone. “We’ll use that song.”

“What?” Finley stared up at him, and then down at her phone. “My ringtone?”

“Yes, the ringtone. The extended, full version.” Geist managed. “I think I can choreograph a short tango to it.”

 _“Ohmygod.”_ Finley’s eyes widened as she put her phone away. “It’s going to be like one of those dances in those competition shows on TV, isn’t it?”

He frowned. “What?”

“There’s this dance competition reality show I follow.” She beamed. “They almost always perform classic dances to pop music, these days! It’ll be _awesome!”_

“Well…” Geist couldn’t help but chuckle, “I suppose it will be awesome. Provided that we don’t trip over each other’s feet halfway through the final performance, that is.”

She immediate grimaced at that remark. “Let’s try _not_ to do that.”

“Agreed.”

Graves looked between both Finley and Geist, before clearing his throat. “I know a little bit in the ballroom department. I’m out of practice, but perhaps I can give a few pointers during your rehearsal?”

“You have some ballroom experience?” Geist raised a brow, looking towards him. “That could be helpful. I’d honestly appreciate it.” Even if he did know ballroom, he was probably a little rusty right now.

Magnolia smiled from ear to ear. _“Magnifique!_ I’ll leave you to rehearsals, then!”

* * *

After breakfast, Magnolia bid her goodbye and went to go help her husband-to-be with the last-minute wedding preparations. Fortunately for Geist, Finley and Graves, Geist’s house was large enough to have its own small ballroom of sorts, so they could just practice in there.

Finley had no clue how to dance. Sure, she’d watched some dance competition reality shows, but that was the closest she ever really got to dancing.

“We’ll be performing the tango, so…” Geist offered a hand to her. “We’ll be in closed position a lot of the time. This means that we’ll have a ‘frame’ to work off of, and posture is very important.”

“Okay.” She let him guide her arms and shoulders into the proper position. She heard Geist take a deep breath, before speaking again.

“Now, start with your right foot…”

What would ensue was a series of missteps, repeated attempts to get feet right, and five times where Geist and/or Finley would fall over midway through. Graves gently gave out pointers starting by about halfway through the hour, and by the end of it, Finley was exhausted.

“How do you do it!?” She couldn’t help but cry out as Geist offered her a cup of water to drink from. “It looked so easy…”

“I know it’s a lot.” Geist offered her a sheepish glance. “Are your feet okay?”

“I think so.” She looked down at her feet, swallowing a little. “Might need some ice after, though.”

“It’s not uncommon for your feet to get so sore. I did push you a bit.” Geist mused. “Your frame is actually better than I thought it would be, given your lack of experience, but it’s the footwork where things are getting fumbled. I might need to par it down a bit.”

“What?” She swallowed, looking up at him. “I know I’m not great yet, but I’m sure I can nail the moves with some more practice.”

“I know you can.” He nodded, but a sigh left his lips as he looked her in the eye. “But I also want to make sure that you can do all the steps in this routine properly. Better that than to go all flashy and get hurt in the process. Baby steps.”

“Well,” She took a deep breath, “Maybe we can try them again, soon? See if I can nail them in time? And then if you seriously want to, you can cut out those steps.”

“Well…” He paused, before looking towards Graves.

Graves nodded in agreement with Finley. “Finley’s one of the hardest-working staff I’ve had. I can tell she has the drive in her to do her best. I don’t think it’s a bad idea, Geist.”

Geist nodded. “Very well.” He looked towards Finley, standing, before offering her his hand so she could get up. “Let’s continue, then. If I need to cut out anything, though, we’ll do that. Okay?”

She nodded, taking his hand in hers. “Challenge accepted!”

They did figure out the rest of the routine within the next few hours. Geist did end up having to cut out a few moves, as they were just a tad too complicated to handle in one day, but at least they had a fleshed-out routine ready for the wedding.

Finley could only hope that the dance went smooth enough for everyone to enjoy.


	18. It Takes Two To Tango

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wedding day is here. Geist and Finley have a dance to perform during the reception, but that's not the only surprise in store.

Geist and Finley were relieved to find out that yes, Braev made an extra suit for Graves so he could attend the wedding in proper attire. In fact, he had it shipped to Geist’s house so Graves to immediately try it on by the morning of the wedding, and it surprisingly fit well on Graves, much to Graves’ relief. Geist and Finley’s outfits were also shipped to them, and they took the opportunity to get changed.

The final outfits were as follows:

Geist had a black suit with a burgundy red shirt underneath. The coat of it was a tailcoat, with some fancy lace trimmings at the cuffs, and there was some faint silver embroidery along the sleeves of the coat. The black pants were plain, but the heeled shoes also had the same silver-lined embroidery. Matching gloves that were both burgundy-red and black finished off the attire.

Finley had a black, sheer dress on, but with a thicker burgundy red lining underneath. She also had a black-feathered headpiece with some burgundy-red flowers she could wear, too, and she managed to pin it on with Geist’s help. She also had some black lace gloves and heels to go with it the whole ensemble, too, as well as sheer black tights to wear underneath the dress.

“Wow.” Finley stared at herself in the mirror, and then looked up at Geist. “We really look like a goth duo.”

Geist shrugged. “It was your idea, but I do like it. I never thought we’d look as goth as Graves, but here we are. Do you think I should wear black eyeshadow under my eyes to look more goth, or is that a step in the wrong direction?”

“Ehh, maybe not.” She offered him a sheepish grin. “I don’t think it would make you look more goth. Tired, though, probably.”

“Did someone say my name?” Both of them turned to see Graves approach them, dressed in the new attire.

Graves looked stunning in the outfit Braev crafted for him. He wore a burgundy red tie to go with his black suit. The dark heeled shoes he wore had burgundy laces, as opposed to being all-black like Geist’s was. Given that the whole outfit was made at such short notice, there wasn’t any fancy embroidery or anything like that on Graves’ suit like Geist and Finley had with their attire, but it also did match the burgundy-red and black tones that Geist and Finley had, making them look like some gothic trio that stepped out of a haunted mansion.

“You look great, Graves.” Geist offered him a smile.

“We should _totally_ wear a casual version of this for Halloween at the café.” Finley piped up, taking a few selfies with her phone before taking a few photos of Geist and Graves’ outfits. “I think it could be fun!”

“I do think it would be fitting.” Graves agreed.

“I’m gonna take a few selfies. Join me!”

Cue an onslaught of several selfies and photos taken by Finley. Geist could do absolutely nothing to stop her.

* * *

The wedding ceremony of Yew Geneolgia and Magnolia Arch was a gorgeous one to remember. They had the ceremony space lined up with flowers galore, specifically magnolias. Finley thought it was a cute touch, given that Magnolia was named, well, Magnolia. Everyone seemed at peace with each other during the ceremony, even if a few folks were a bit shocked by Finley, Graves and Geist’s goth aesthetic going on with their clothes. Even Nikolai gave Geist a nod of acknowledgement as he passed him by.

Finley made sure to snap plenty of photos for the wedding. She wouldn’t share them online, given that this was a personal thing, but it was more for herself to remember it by as time spent with others (even if she didn’t really know the bride and groom all that well).

The ceremony soon led to cocktail hour, and then they had the banquet. Everyone had tables arranged to sit with each other, and Graves, Finley, Geist and Revenant shared a table with Kamiizumi and Minette. The food served was incredibly delicious, and certainly luxurious, fitting of the Geneolgia name and for such a lavish wedding. About an hour went by with eating, drinking, and conversing with others. Magnolia and Yew even came by the table to say hi to their guests, too.

Magnolia and Yew, of course, had their first dance as bride and groom. Magnolia had told Geist and Finley that they would perform after them. It was clear that the bride and groom were well-rehearsed in their slow waltz, with gentle rotations and intricate footwork as they glided across the floor. The way they looked each other in the eyes was absolutely adorable, and the guests cheered as the two kissed.

After the first dance was over, it was time for Magnolia to make her announcement. She took a deep breath, facing everyone with a microphone handed to her, before speaking into it.

“Unfortunately, Praline A La Mode will not be performing tonight due to illness.” Magnolia announced. Some of the guests went “aww” at that, disappointed, but the bride offered them a soft grin. “However, we were _very_ lucky to have Geist Grace and his friend, Finley, step in to provide some brief entertainment! Please, give them a round of applause as they perform a Tango!”

Geist and Finley both stood from their chairs as the crowd clapped for them. Geist knew that it was time for the dance. No turning back now. Right now, it was his and Finley’s time to shine.

“Ready?” Geist breathed, turning his head to face her.

He felt her thumb brush over his as she took his hand in hers, before she smiled back. “I’m ready.”

* * *

Finley wasn’t sure how this was going to go. After all, she literally just learned her dance yesterday, and all the pointers Geist drilled into her head still echoed in her mind. But she also knew that this was supposed to be fun, and intense, and she would do her best to keep up pacing with Geist. As she and Geist got into hold, she did her best to maintain the sharpness of her footwork.

_Glide across the floor here. Turn here. Kick._

Her body went on autopilot as she listened to the music, trying to move along with it. Geist, however, was quick to lead her, steady in his movements.

As they ended with their final movement, with Geist dipping her low, Finley heard the entire crowd burst into applause and cheers. Geist pulled her to her feet, smiling, before the two bowed together.

“Thank you, Geist and Finley!” Magnolia called. “That was an amazing tango! With that, everyone, let’s party!”

The band in the background roared to life, and other guests got up from their chairs to take on the dancefloor. Finley and Geist both sat back down in their seats, and Geist noticed Graves offer them a smile.

“I recorded your splendid performance.” Graves told them, offering them a smile. “I’ll send the video to both of you later.”

 _“You were awesome, Daddy!”_ Revenant cheered, looking towards Geist, who offered his son a smile.

“I was? Thank you, Rev…”

As Minette cut in to also give her congratulations, Kamiizumi offered Finley a smile. “You and Geist danced well out there.”

“Thanks!” She offered him a smile. She paused, looking around, before asking, “Is there anyone with you? Anyone you’re dancing with?”

“Dancing isn’t my forte, so I’ll stay to the side and observe.” He managed. “And I don’t have a plus-one for the wedding, unless you count my daughter Minette, I suppose.”

“Seriously?” Finley raised a brow, staring at him. “How are you single? You literally have,” She gestured to him up and down with a hand, _“This_ going on! I can totally imagine a ton of ladies just running after you. Or guys, if that’s what you prefer.”

Kamiizumi looked somewhere between confused and amused, given the odd smile on his face. “I’ve given up on finding a romantic relationship anytime soon, but I appreciate the sentiment. I learned that I don’t require a romantic relationship to be happy. If it comes, it’ll come. If not, that’s fine as well.”

“Cool, cool.” Finley decided not to press any further on that. She figured he was probably more focused on maintaining the friendships he had, and also bonding with his adopted daughter. It made sense, wanting to keep what you currently had healthy and thriving.

“Speaking of plus-ones, however…I am glad that you met Geist. And that you are friends with him, too.” Kamiizumi stated, looking her in the eye. “And thank you. For earlier.”

She grinned. “Anything for a friend, right?”

A chuckle left him at that. “That is true.”

Graves put his phone away, looking towards Kamiizumi. “Do you dance, Kamiizumi?”

“Me?” Kamiizumi looked towards Graves. “Well, I can’t say I’m very good at it.”

“I saw you fight the other night.” The owner of a Cat’s Paw remarked. “You have a lot of natural movement. Perhaps some of it could translate to dancing. And..” He paused, before offering a hand to Kamiizumi, “Perhaps we can both see how it goes.”

Kamiizumi looked down at the hand offered to him, and then up at Graves, eyes widening.

Finley stared between Graves and Kamiizumi. Was her own boss asking her friend’s friend to dance with him? Oooooh. This could get interesting. She did the one thing she knew she could: Encourage them.

“Say yes!” Finley prompted, looking towards Kamiizumi with the best insistent stare she could make. She noticed Geist stare at her, before staring between Kamiizumi and Graves, clearly surprised, but the Swordmaster chuckled, before taking Graves’ hand in his.

“I accept. It wouldn’t hurt to try just this once.”

With that, Graves, the most powerful witch from the city, and Nobutsuna Kamiizumi, wielder of the Swordmaster Asterisk, went to the dancefloor together to dance with each other. Finley couldn’t help but smile, watching the pair, before looking towards Geist with a grin.

“Imagine if they started dating.” She whispered. “How steamy would that be!?”

“Let’s not get our hopes too high up.” Geist couldn’t help but laugh a bit as he watched with her. “After all, your boss did just finally get his ex-boyfriend off his back.”

“Fair. But look at them! They’re so cute!” She paused, taking out her phone. “I should take a video!”

“No, you are _not!”_

The rest of the night was filled with dancing, laughter, and joy.

As the night eventually drew to a close, however, it dawned upon Finley that she’d be going back home, soon.

And what would that mean for her and Geist, other than a goodbye?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author note: I based Finley and Geist’s tango off Hannah Brown and Alan Bersten’s Tango from Dancing With The Stars, Season 28, which was danced to the song “Boy with Luv” by BTS. I also based their outfits off the outfits worn in that same tango. 
> 
> There are only TWO CHAPTERS LEFT in this story! I just want to say thank you to everyone that’s read this fic so far, given kudos, commented, etc. It means a whole lot to me that all of you readers gave this fic so much support, so thank you for following the story so far! I hope you join me for the last two chapters and enjoy reading them as well!


	19. Time To Say Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wedding is over, and Finley and Graves have to go back home. Geist sees them off.

It was the day after the wedding, and Finley knew that she and Graves had to head back home, back to the city where A Cat’s Paw, her significant other, and all their friends and coworkers were.

Geist, however, living in Luxendarc, would not be coming back with them. His home was in Luxendarc itself, after all. Graves and Finley had already booked a boat ride back home, and now all they had to do, after packing their things, was wait for the boat to come.

Maybe she should take Avery here with her, Finley mused. After all, if this was how interesting Gathelatio was, where they were, imagine exploring the entire rest of Luxendarc. It was like a whole other world, and Finley knew she’d only scratched the surface of it.

Then again, she wasn’t sure if she wanted a huge lecture on the Crystal Orthodoxy and so on like the one Geist gave her, when she first arrived, so maybe she’d hold off on that trip for a little while. She made a note to bring Avery with her in the future, for sure. Maybe her other coworkers and friends, too, if they were interested.

Geist looked out to sea as he waited with her, an odd look in his eyes. Finley wasn’t sure if he was taking the time to remember things he once experienced, or maybe he was still reflecting on the previous night or few nights. A sigh left him, and he looked towards her, swallowing lightly.

“Finley?”

“Yeah?”

He took a deep breath, looking her in the eye. “I…” He paused, before blurting out, “I’m going to miss you. Hanging out with you, that is.”

“You know,” Graves looked towards him, raising a brow, “You could always come to visit. Or work with us again, even. I’m sure we’ll need to hire temps for future events, like with the music festival.”

Geist offered him a grin. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Besides,” Finley looked towards Geist, “We have each other’s numbers, right? I definitely plan to keep in touch!”

“Keep in touch?” He repeated. He paused, then nodded once, offering her a smile. “I’d be happy to keep in touch with you, too.”

“Yeah! It’ll be a long-distance friendship!”

* * *

It was funny, Finley decided, that she became friends with an Exorcist. She still remembered how he was, when they first met. He’d acted so secretive, and fearful about himself and how others would react to what he hid. But he’d proved to be a good person. Sure, he was not without his faults, but she had a feeling that he was better now. And she was happy for him that he was.

“You know,” She heard Geist speak up, and she looked up at him to see him look her in the eye, “I never thought I’d meet someone like you that’s…accepting. And I appreciate that a lot. I just hope I’ve been a light to the darkness like you were to me.”

“Oh, you definitely were.” A chuckle left her at that. “I mean, you helped me and the others out with Nacht and getting rid of that one harasser for good, so I think we have each other covered.’

“Fair.” His eyes narrowed slightly, even as he smiled. “Though if you have any other harassment that happens, let me know and I’ll make sure they never do it again.”

Finley noticed Graves crack a smile. “As much as all of us appreciate that offer, I think we should try not to kill them as a last resort, or use death threats. Especially if you work with us again.”

“Duly noted.”

The sound of a horn echoed throughout the port, and Finley turned to see the large boat approaching, ready to take her and Graves back to the city. It wouldn’t be long until they had to board. As she turned to face Geist again, she took a deep breath, before opening up her arms.

“Want a hug?”

“A hug?” Geist stared at her, and she sighed, giving him a look.

“A goodbye hug! It’s not gonna bite, I promise.” A laugh left her as Geist sighed, before he smiled back, nodding.

“I suppose a goodbye hug is in order.” With that, he walked up to her and gave her a hug.

Two things Finley learned int hat moment: First, Geist Grace gave some really good hugs. Second, she was definitely looking forward to a welcome back hug if Geist ever came by to visit in the future.

Geist also asked if Graves wanted a goodbye hug, but the two settled for a friendly handshake instead, followed by Graves inviting him to come back and work at the café again. Geist promised to keep in touch.

Even as Finley boarded the ship with Graves to head back home, she waved goodbye to Geist as much as she could. Though she was eager to return to her significant other and her coworkers and friends, she knew that she’d miss him.

* * *

Geist watched the ship leave from the port after Finley and Graves boarded it, watching it head into the distance. He sighed as the ship turned into a speck in the far horizon, before taking a deep breath.

The goodbyes were given. Finley was gone. There was nothing else to do but return home and keep in touch, right? And maybe visit, in the future.

“Reaper?” Geist turned to see Janne, who had approached him. Janne still looked a bit out of it, considering how late the wedding party went from the previous night, but he was otherwise fine. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.” Geist gestured towards the dock with one hand. “Finley and Graves already left, though.”

A sigh left Janne at that. “You miss ‘em already, don’t you?”

“I do.” He couldn’t help but admit it. “I really do.”

“You know,” Janne shrugged, “If you ever need to run away from Luxendarc sometime in the near future, let me know. I’m pretty sure I can spare some time away helping reform the Orthodoxy and such.”

The Exorcist smiled at that. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Even with all the hustle and bustle of reforming the Orthodoxy, as well as the fact that Yew and Magnolia were married, things seemed better now. Geist was grateful for that.

If there was anything Finley had taught him, during the time he spent with her, is that he didn’t have to hide himself away for who he was. Not anymore.


	20. Welcome Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A year has passed since Geist and Finley first met. Finley misses him, but Geist might be seeing her sooner than she expected...

Months passed since Geist and Finley parted ways. Summer ended, then turned to autumn, and then winter. The Exorcist and newbie witch maintained contact via phone calls, texts, emails and so on. Geist even followed all of the social media for A Cat’s Paw and shared the Jelly Donut videos with his son and his fellow peers, while Finley decided to keep up the ballroom dancing and found a dance club to take lessons with in her spare time, even taking Avery along to them.

Nacht hadn’t disturbed anyone from A Cat’s Paw since Graves, Finley, Geist and the others last dealt with him. Finley had a feeling that she’d never see the guy again, and honestly, it was for the best. Heck, if she was correct, she thought she saw hints of Graves possibly dating someone new. The way that her boss occasionally looked at his phone with a smile, or said he was making an important call and should not be disturbed, only for her to overhear a little and realize that Graves sounded happy in that way you’d be when calling your loved ones – he’d moved on. And he was happy. She was glad that whoever her boss was with, if he was actually dating someone new, that he was happy with them.

Life went on.

Finley took a deep breath as she looked up from wiping a few tables, expecting a certain Exorcist to enter and ask for a coffee. However, there was no one.

A sigh left her. It was, what, a whole year since she first met Geist? She still remembered the whirlwind of the few weeks she spent with him, starting with him entering this café, before working along with her, and then getting to attend Yew and Magnolia’s wedding with him on top of finally dealing with Nacht for good.

And though she kept in close contact with him, with phone calls and so on, she couldn’t help but miss him. It was nice having him around. Besides, the café would be a lot cleaner a lot faster if he was.

She heard the bell ring as the main doors opened, and then a voice. “Excuse me?”

She froze. That voice was too familiar to her now.

“I heard that you were looking for a temp? Perhaps I could apply?”

Finley looked up to see none other than Geist Grace, who simply smiled at her.

“Geist!” Washcloth forgotten on the table, she rushed over to Geist, enveloping him in the tightest hug she could manage. She heard Geist yelp, and he almost stumbled, given how she sensed him take a step back, but he managed to catch his balance, hugging her back. “Ohmygod, you’re back! I’m so glad to see you!”

A chuckle left him as he straightened himself, letting go of her after a moment. He seemed happier, that was for sure. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? How have you been?”

“Great!” She smiled, before she snapped her fingers. “Oh, wait, I almost forgot –remember how Graves once cursed me and the others into turning into cats? I can actually turn back into my cat form now!”

His eyes widened. “Your cat form?” He asked.

“Yeah! Look!” She snapped her fingers, and immediately transformed into her cat form. She heard Geist sneeze, and she winced, looking up at him from where she stood in her cat form. “Oops. Sorry. Shoulda warned you beforehand, but _here’s my cat form!”_

“Wow.” Geist stared down at her, eyes wide. The Exorcist was _much_ taller than cat-form Finley, so Finley couldn’t help but find it mildly odd how short she was compared to him. “That’s…amazing.”

“Thanks.” She smiled up at him. “I’m gonna transform back into a human. Cover your eyes or else you’ll sneeze again.”

He did, and Finley transformed back into her human form. As he uncovered his eyes, he looked grateful that he didn’t sneeze this time. “So,” He managed, “Can you use your regular magic in your cat form, or is it a human-only thing?”

“Only for human forms, sadly.” A sigh left her at that. “But it makes for a great way to snoop around!”

A chuckle left him at that. “I wonder if you can talk to other cats that way, though. Regular cats, for instance. Nobutsuna’s daughter, Minette, can do that.”

“Mm. I’m not sure, but I should try that in the future.” She paused, before snapping her fingers. “Speaking of magic…how’s the paper magic going? Smoothly, I hope?” Though she had kept in touch with Geist about it, they hadn’t talked too much about the magic stuff. And though she was sure Geist probably got some help after everything that happened with the wedding rehearsal dinner and with Nacht, there was still a lot Geist had to cover.

He scratched the back of his head, giving her a sheepish grin. “I did have a couple paper-spike incidents since last time, but I think I can control them better, now.”

“Really?” An improvement in paper magic? That sounded nifty. “Show me! Show me!”

“er…” Geist looked around, checking in case there were customers (there were none in right now) before he looked towards some paper napkins on a table nearby, snapping his fingers. The napkins immediately folded themselves into a pretty tiara. The Exorcist picked it up, and then handed it to her. “For you.”

“Aww! Thanks!” Finley put the tiara on her own head, trying to strike a cool pose with her hands on her hips, before gesturing up to the tiara nestled in her hair. “What do you think? Does it look good?”

He nodded, a chuckle leaving his lips. “I think it’s cute. You should show it off to Avery.”

“What’s being shown off to me?” The two turned to see Avery approach, having just stepped out from the kitchen. They offered Geist a friendly wave as they approached, before they noticed Finley’s tiara. “Ooh. Nice.”

“Geist made it.” Finley explained, smiling. “With his magic, too!”

“Really?” They looked towards Geist, offering him a grin. “Nice to see you again, Geist.”

“Thanks.” Geist offered them a nod of acknowledgement. “Good to see you too, Avery. Do you mind letting Graves know that I’m here to apply for a temp job here?”

“Oh, the temp janitor thing. No worries, I’ll be back!” With that, Avery moved towards the stairs. Finley watched Avery go, before looking towards Geist, giggling.

“Speaking of Graves,” She started, chuckling. “He’s totally dating someone.”

“He found someone?” Geist raised a brow, intrigued. “Who?”

“Guess.” She wiggled her eyebrows a bit at him.

A sigh left him as he shook his head. “I have no clue. You might just want to tell me already, or else I’ll be guessing all day.”

“Wellll….Remember when Graves asked Kamiizumi to dance with him?” She lowered her voice, looking him in the eye. “I think it’s him!”

“What?! _Nobutsuna?”_ Geist raised a brow, before his eyes widened in realization, frowning lightly. “Now that I think about it, I _have_ noticed the Swordmaster talking on the phone more often…”

“Maybe they’re in a secret relationship.” She teased. “It could be _real_ steamy for all we know! Imagine the long-distance _longing!”_

“Long-distance longing?” The two turned to see Graves and Avery approach. The owner of A Cat’s Paw looked mildly amused, the flicker of a smile on his face. “What ever could you mean?”

“Ohhh, I’m sure you know.” Finley teased, and Graves could only sigh, shaking his head.

“Please, Finley, stop speculating about my love life.”

“We just wanna see you happy! That’s all!”

“It’s true.” Another voice piped up, and Finley turned to see Reese peek out from the kitchen, chuckling. “You can’t hide it from us forever, Graves!”

“Reese!” Graves feigned shock. “Not _you,_ too!”

Geist could only laugh, before he shook his head. “I think we should move to a different topic for now. We have a lot to catch up on, after all.”

“That is true. And speaking of things to catch up on,” Graves cleared his throat, looking towards Geist, “If you’re willing to take on the temp position again, we can have it arranged immediately.”

“I’d be happy to accept.” Geist smiled, and Finley pumped a fist before calling towards the kitchen.

“Hey! Everybody! Geist is back with us for the next few weeks again!”

Some cheering could be heard from within the kitchen at that, and Finley noticed Geist crack a grin.

“Were all of you missing me that much?” He asked, raising a brow.

“Of course we were. You’re really good at cleaning. And…” She offered him a wide grin, “Welcome back, Geist.”

She saw him smile, and in his eyes she saw excitement and peace all at once—a far cry from how he looked when they first met.

“I’m glad to be back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to EVERYONE who read, commented, kudos’d and followed this fic! It means so much to me that you enjoyed reading Finley and Geist’s adventures, and I’m happy to put this tale to a close. I may or may not write related oneshots to this fic in the future, but I hope you enjoyed reading this fic regardless. 
> 
> For those curious about reading more crossover fics of mine, I currently am updating a Yakitate!! Japan/Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild oneshot series called "Trials of the Wild." In addition to this, I will start regularly updating my The Last Story fanfic, "The Last Story: Breath Of The Wild" starting NEXT WEEK, as I'm expanding it from a oneshot into a full multichapter fic! Feel free to check them out!
> 
> Once again, THANK YOU to all of you for reading this fic! I hope you enjoy reading my other fics as well, and happy reading! See you again in the next one!


End file.
